Dirty Hands
by Pacco1
Summary: Samuel Conall has been alone for a month. It's just been him, his machete and his guns. A foreigner to America during the Apocalypse, he tries to survive, and has done a good job of doing just that. Then he stumble's across a girl in the middle of the forest, and gets drawn into the lives of Rick Grimes and his group.
1. A Man in the Woods

**Ch.1**

Sam stared out at the woods and grimaced as he saw another Walker stumbling through the trees. It trudged through the bushes and the trees making a series of grunting noises with every step it took.

He could see the torn and bloody clothes of it. A hiker by the looks of the boots and shredded backpack that was clinging to the Walker's body by a thread.

It wasn't a threat. He could just leave it and keep going. But it had been awhile since he had used his machete and letting his skills get rusty was definitely something that he wanted to avoid.

"Oh to hell with it," he muttered to himself as he unsheathed his blade. Just as he was about to rush it he heard the faintest of gasps. He looked just a bit farther in front of the the Walker and saw a little girl. She couldn't have been more than eleven. There she was though, stumbling in front of a Walker in the middle of the woods.

Sam charged the Walker and sunk his machete deep into it's skull. The blade was pulled out and a small amount of blood squirted out of the deep cut in the Walker's skull.

The little girl screamed and stumbled back. She lost her balance and fell down to the ground.

A snarl alerted Sam that there was another Walker. He spun around and saw what looked to be a Ranger with it's pants down, shriveled and slightly decayed manhood on display, stumbling toward him.

Sam swung his machete at a downward arch and sliced the Walkers calf and sent it to the one quick motion he sliced its head in half.

He heard the girl scream again. He turned and saw her panting heavily and with a look of pure fear in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Sam took a step forward and the girl slip back as he reached out.

Sam looked down at his hand. Blood. Fresh blood.

He must've looked quite scary to the poor girl.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya'." he told her gently.

She gave him a strange look. "You talk funny."

 _I just save her life and she says that I talk funny._ "Uh, yeah I suppose I do. But are you ok?" She nodded and got to her feet. "Can you tell me your name?"

She nodded. "I-I'm Sophia."

"Hello Sofia my name's Samuel, Samuel Conall, but you can call me Sam. Now if you don't mind me asking, are you all alone out here?"

She shook her head and Sam looked around as if to say, _Well where are your parents?_

"I got separated. Rick told me to keep the sun on my left shoulder. They're at the highway."

Sam had no idea where the highway was and he didn't exactly have a map on hand but he couldn't exactly leave the poor girl.

"Do you know which way the highway is Sophia?" She shook her head. "Do you know if this fellow named Rick is close by?" Another shake. "Ok, alright then uhh…"

Sam grabbed a rag from his pack and began wiping the blood from his hands and machete. "Well I can't exactly leave you here can I?"

Sophia didn't say anything.

"So how about you stick with me for a bit. I'll try and help you find your parents-"

"My mom," Sophia interrupted, "My dad died."

"My condolences," she just shrugged. "Well anyway, since there's no highway that way," Sam pointed from the direction he had been walking from, "I'm willing to bet that it's from the direction you came from."

Sophia nodded uneasily.

"Look, we only got about two hours of sunlight left, how long have you been out here?"

"All day." _Shit._

"Ok well… shit. Hopefully you didn't wander too far."

* * *

They hadn't found anything in those two hours other than the occasional Walker that cane stumbling out of the woods. Sam took care of them quickly and quietly. He tried not to use his gun unless he absolutely had too.

Sophia had managed to keep up with him through the time that they were together but she was just so damn loud.

She stopped around the woods and her breathing was so loud. Sam was sure that they would be discovered by a group of Walkers at one point but Sophia had managed to calm her breathing enough so that they weren't discovered.

Now the two of them were sitting around a small fire that Sam had made eating out of one of his cans of beans.

As far as nights go Sam had worse ones. He had definitely had better ones, but most certainly worse ones.

"Sam, do you think we'll find my mom?" Sophia asked as she took another mouthful of food.

He nodded. "Course. I mean as long as we keep going that way then I'm sure we'll find 'em by tomorrow. Now come on, we need to get some sleep," Sam told her as he got off the ground and stomped out the fire.

Sam slowly began climbing the nearest tree and when he reached the top he held his hand out to Sophia.

"What are you doing?"

"What you want to sleep on the ground? What if one of 'em comes around while we're sleeping? No it's best to sleep in the trees. Not as comfortable, but definitely safer than the ground."

She seemed to see the logic in Sam's statement since she took his hand.

Sam put her on one of the higher branches and reached into his pack and pulled out what looked like seatbelts.

"I'm just gonna strap you in. We don't want you falling out do we?" Sophia laughed as he wrapped the straps around her legs.

"Why do you talk funny?"

Sam smiled as he finished strapping her into the tree. "I'm from Ireland Sophia. I was over here when everything happened. So that's why I talk funny to you. Now you're all strapped in, don't worry you won't fall, I've been using these for awhile and I haven't fallen out."

Sophia smiled and adjusted herself. "Thank you Sam, good night."

"Night Sophia."

* * *

The sun had managed to peek through the trees, and the birds were beginning to sing. If it wasn't for the fact Sam had a machete, and was sleeping in a tree with a lost little girl, then it would have been a great morning. But unfortunately for Sam he did have a machete, and was sleeping in a tree with a lost little girl that he had to get to her mother.

Sam undid the buckled that kept him in the tree and moved toward Sophia.

"Sophia, time to wake up, come on. Long day's march and all that." Sophia woke up and Sam undid the straps for her.

After each of them had used the bathroom, which consisted of bushes that were a respectful distance from each other, they began walking.

If it wasn't for the abundance of trees and the nice breeze, then Sam was sure that he would have passed out in the hot Georgia sun.

"So why were you over here?" Sophia asked me as we crossed a creek.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you said you were from Ireland, what are you doing here?"

Sam shrugged. "School trip, we were sent here to see what life was like in the south during the eighteen hundreds. It was pretty cool, at least until the dead began walking and all hell broke loose."

"Are any of your classmate still alive?"

"I don't know, my friends and I split off from the class early on, we didn't last very long," Sam said sparing her the details.

"Where'd you get that?" She pointed at his machete.

"You'd be surprised at what you can find when society collapses."

"What about that?" She pointed at the gun on his hip and the rifle slung on the side of his backpack.

"Dead soldier. He had the rifle and the pistol. Not much ammo but enough in case I get into any problems."

* * *

Sam heard Sophia's stomach growl again.

"Uh Mr. Conall, do we have anything to eat?"

"Call me Sam Sophia, and as for the food situation, I do have a few granola bars left over but if you want I could set up a few snare traps."

"What are those?"

Sam grinned. "Come on, I'll show you."

So for the better part of an hour Sam showed Sophia how to set up snare traps. And although the snares wouldn't catch anything right away they would still be useful and maybe they would bear some fruit… figuratively.

* * *

 _BANG_

Sam whipped his head around at the sound of a gunshot.

He waited.

…

Only one. _Weird_. It was strange that someone would waste a bullet on a single Walker. Unless they were hunting. Or maybe…

"Sophia you said your people had guns right?" She nodded. "Do you think they'd of fired that shot?"

"I don't know. Daryl might've used his crossbow." _Crossbow?_ "But they might've used their guns."

They decided that the best course of action would to probably make our way to the gunshot. Even if it wasn't them, the chances of finding a dead guy with a gun was high and every bullet mattered now.

* * *

Trekking through the woods was hard and slow work.

By the time night fell Sophia and Sam were so tired that Sam wasn't sure if he could climb up a tree so they could sleep.

But luckily Sam had seen a house. It wasn't in the best shape. Part of the roof had caved in on the second floor and it could definitely use a fresh coat of paint, but other that that it looked perfect.

Sam had told Sophia to stay outside while he made sure that the house was clear.

"If any of 'em show up just yell and I'll come running," Sam had told her before going into the house with his machete in one hand and a small flashlight in the other.

Luckily it had been empty and after making sure that the house was secure so they wouldn't get any visitors in the night, the two had fallen straight to sleep.

The next day they had begun their journey to find the source of the gunshot. Sophia had named their journey.

Sam actually liked that. She was a cute kid. Despite being separated from her mom and group she seemed to be cheerful and optimistic. Two things that Sam had actually missed seeing since the beginning of it all.

* * *

"We gotta get the hell out of here!" Sam shouted as he hacked the head of a walker in half.

He didn't know where they had come from. One moment they had been checking the snares, the next dozens of Walkers had begun stumbling through the woods.

Sam had tried fighting them. He had snunk the blade of his machete into the skulls of many Walkers before he realized that he was outnumbered. So he did what he knew do. He grabbed Sophia and ran like hell.

He could hear the snarls of the Walkers behind him and Sophia whimpering in his ear.

Their footsteps thundered against the forest floor. It was as if there were hundreds of thousands of Walkers all trying to get him.

"Their getting closer" Sophia cried clutching the doll she had when Sam had found her.

"Can you swim?" Sam demanded.

"W-why?"

"Can you swim?!"

"Yes!"

"Good. Hold onto me! If you lose your grip then start kicking and follow me!" Before she could answer Sam sped up and jumped into the fast flowing creek he was running besides.

The water was refreshingly cold considering that he had been just running in the hot Georgia sun with a little girl on his shoulder.

Speaking of which, Sam didn't feel Sophia on his shoulder anymore. In fact, he didn't even hear her. He didn't hear anything other than the sound of the water. And he felt his heart began to race faster.

What if something had happened to Sophia? What if she had drowned? What if she had washed up on the bank and was caught by a walker?

Sam whipped his head around rapidly as he kicked against the current.

"Sophia!" He screamed, desperately looking for her in the rushing water. "Sophia are you there?!"

Still no answer.

"Shit!" Sam kicked towards the bank and slowly pulled himself and his wet belongings out of the river.

He scanned the rushing water for any sign of the little girl but there was nothing.

"Oh fuck me! SOPHIA! Are you out there?!"

"Mr. Conall!" He looked down the river. "Mr. Conall are you there?!"

"Sophia?!" He sprinted through the trees and mud, lugging the more heavier than usual gear with him.

"Over here!" He sprung though the brush and came face to face with the little girl. He smiled and scooped her up in his arms.

"Oh thank God you're ok!" He laughed. "I thought I lost you for a second there."

He put her on the ground and saw her smile brightly.

"I'm alright Mr. Conall, I just… I lost Missy." She looked down at her shoes.

"Missy?"

"My doll. My mom got her for me and I dropped her in the river."

I lifted her head. "Hey Sophia, what do you think your mom's gonna be more glad to have? A doll or you?"

"Me," she said after a moment.

"Damn right. Now come on. We need to find out where we are."

* * *

"Truth or dare?"

"Do I have to pick Sophia?"

"Yup!"

"Alright… truth."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at that. "No I haven't. Too busy trying to keep my grades up. Not a lot of time for that sort of thing."

Sophia seemed to accept that answer. "Your turn."

"What?"

"You have to ask me truth or dare."

Sam smiled and shook his head. "I don't remember wanting to play this game if I remember correctly."

"Come on, please? It gets boring when we just walk," she whined.

"Alright alright, truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

Sam thought it over for a minute. "Have you…. ever been outside of Georgia?"

"No. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Hmmm, how do you know how to set up those snare traps?"

"A friend of mine taught me."

"Who was he?"

Sam smiled, "I thought it was my turn."

"Come on!"

"Alright, alright fine. Michael was his name. His dad taught him, when everything went to shit, he taught me and a few others so we could all survive."

"Where is he now?"

He shrugged. "Dead probably. My friends and I got separated by a big group of 'em about a month ago. Haven't seen anyone since."

"I'm sure you'll find them."

"I hope so."

* * *

 _Sophia Stay Here We Will Come Every Day._

Andrea could honestly say that she didn't see the point of coming out to the highway and waiting for a girl that wasn't going to show up. Honestly what was the point. Humoring a widow who probably lost her daughter as well? It didn't make any sense.

They had much better things to do. But no one wanted to see what was so painfully obvious. Well no one except Shane and her. But no one listened to them. They were the odd ones out.

Andrea looked up to the sky. It was a mixture of oranges and fading dark blue. The sun was beginning to disappear. There was probably only an hour before the sun went away for the night.

She placed a hand on Carol's shoulder, "We'll come again tomorrow."

Carol nodded.

"You know there's always a chance-" then Carol walked away.

Andrea just didn't get it. Everyone knew that Sophia was dead. But no one wanted to admit it.

They began packing up.

Everyone got into the car, Carol ore slowly. Desperately looking out to the woods for any sign of her daughter.

Andrea was about to tell her to get in the car when she heard it.

A whistle. A high pitched long whistle through the air.

"Sophia?" Carol whispered. "Sophia! Is that you?!

"Carol, we don't know who's-"

"Mom?!" a voice called from the woods. "Mom are you there?!"

 _Holy shit! She's alive!_ Andrea got out of the car and rushed to the guard rail of the highway.

The trees rustled and Sophia came running out of the woods and into her mother's arms, both of them had tears in their eyes. Then a boy with jet black hair came out of the woods after Sophia.

Andrea's hand went for her gun. The boy's eye widened and he raised his hands. He didn't go for the gun on his hip or the rifle slung on his backpack.

"Whoa! Uh I don't want any trouble!" He had an Irish accent. Weren't many of those in Georgia.

"Who are you?!" Andrea demanded from him, gun still raised.

"I'm Samuel Conall, but uh, you can call me Sam," he said, his hands lowering.

"He saved me!" Sophia spoke up. "He took care of me!"

 _Well shit. What do I do now?_

* * *

AN: Well my friends here is another side project of mine. Updates will vary since I am still fully working on other projects of mine, but I just had to get this out there or else I never would have. I have a list of Fics that have never been put out there because I always say that I will post them when I'm done with my other story but then they never get published. Anyway here is a Walking Dead fic and I hope you guys like it. Don't forget to drop a review and I'll see you next time. ~ Pacco1


	2. My Name is Samuel Conall

Ch. 2

AN: Hey guys welcome back. Just posting this soon because I already had the second chapter completed. Also just letting you guys know, this chapter takes place at Season 2 episode 6.

It was uncomfortably hot in the shed. Sam felt the sweat run down his back making the fabric of his shirt stick to his back. He could already tell that he was going to get a heat rash from the whole experience. His hands were also becoming chafed from the cuffs they had slapped on his wrist.

He was glad that they at least didn't chain him down and allowed him free roam of the small confined space that they had thrown him into. Small victories and all that.

After he had come out of the woods with Sophia and that blonde lady had pointed a gun at him she had taken his guns, which had pissed him off more than being imprisoned, and thrown him in the trunk of the car. Not that it had done her any good.

Fifteen minute drive with a left turn at the five and ten minute interval.

Once the car had stopped there had been a fair bit of yelling and debating.

From what he could tell, they didn't know what to do with him.

One wanted him out, another thought they should talk to him see what he wanted. There were a bunch of different ideas as to what to do with Sam but ultimately they decided to lock him in the shed until they could decide.

Not that Sam could fault them for that.

Strange man comes out of the woods with a little girl that they had been looking for during the apocalypse. Hell putting Sam in the shed seemed kind to him.

If only if it wasn't so goddamn hot then Sam would have had nothing to complain about.

"You awake in there?" Someone banged loudly on the door.

"Of course not!" Sam shouted back. _Man I really need to not do that._

The door creaked open and three men walked into the stuffy shed. Sam noticed that only one had a gun, but the other one had a crossbow.

"Who are you?" the one with the gun demanded.

"Alright, revolver and a bit of a beard, you're Rick Grimes."

"How do you know that?"

"Sophia really looks up to you. You too Daryl. The crossbow gave it away. Yeah she told me about all of you. Nothing bad I assure you. Well except about a fella named Sane, who I'm assuming is you," he pointed to the third man with a buzz cut.

"Who are you?" Rick demanded again.

"Samuel Conall."

"Where'd you come from?" Shane asked next.

"You don't know? Well when a man and a woman love each other very much-"

Shane grabbed Sam by the throat, "You think this is a game?!"

"Shane! Enough!" Shane released Sam. "Listen, we just need to figure out if you're a threat to us. So stop with the jokes."

Sam nodded. "Alright, I'll cut back. As to where I'm from, Ireland. Came here on a school trip. Everything went to Hell our third day here. I was with a few friends for a while and about a month ago a big group of 'em swarmed us. I got away, don't know if the others did."

"Where'd you find the girl?" Daryl asked next.

"I don't know. It was somewhere in the woods. We were trying to get to the highway but a group of Walkers made us take a bit of a detour."

The three of them looked at one another. Shane shook his head and Daryl shrugged with indifference.

"Where were you planning on going after you got Sophia here?" Rick asked me.

"Well she said that there was a possibility of me joining you fine people," he lied. Sophia had never said anything of the sort. In fact they never discussed what would happen after they found her mother.

"And you believed her?"

"She painted me the picture of you being a reasonable and good lot. I took her for her word. Are you're gonna make her a liar?" The just stared at him. "Look, I get you treating me like this, locking me up and what not, but all that I ask is you give me a chance. Surviving out there on the road, especially alone, is brutal. So all I ask is for a chance. I know that's a lot to ask nowadays, but if you do give me a chance, you will not regret it. I can assure you that."

* * *

It had been two days since they had let him out of the shed and most of the group had been avoiding him like the plague that had taken over the world. Well everyone except Sophia and her mother Carol that is. They were some of the only people that would give him the time of day, and even then Carol would look at him with suspicion.

Once again it was understandable but after a while it got annoying how people would look at him. He hadn't done anything to anyone. He gave all the food he had over to the group since food was shared in the group.

"Hey uh peach?" Sam looked up and saw… he forgot the name of the asian guy.

"Sure, um what's your name again?"

"Glenn. Your Sam right?"

Sam nodded, "Aye, sorry about forgetting your name."

"It's alright. To be fair I haven't really talked to you all that much."

"No one really has." Sam looked at the basket Glenn was hauling. "Those for us?"

"Oh uh yeah, Maggie brought us some peaches and jerky."

Sam grabbed a peach and a small amount of jerky, "Nice. I never thought I'd see a peach without mold on it again. Oh and it tastes way better than a moldy peach as well."

"Were things that bad out there?"

"Worse. When you're out there on the road by yourself you really learn to eat anything. Moldy peaches and household pets included."

"Pets?" Glenn looked horrified.

"Two things I learned. One: cats are hard to skin. Two: they taste amazing with barbecue sauce." Sam laughed when Glenn backed away and almost tripped.

Sam sat down and ate his peach in silence.

The other inhabitants of the camp were off doing their morning rituals.

Rick and Shane seemed to be in deep discussion about what the group was meant to do next now that Sophia had been found, which they had been arguing about for the past two days.

Carol was washing and hanging clothes while Lori was boiling the water that the group used. Andrea was on top of the R.V. with a rifle. Daryl was off doing whatever it was that he did. Sam never asked. To be frank the southern bowmen scared the living shit out of Sam.

Daryl seemed like the kind of man that could kill you with the flick of his wrist.

Sophia and Carl were off doing homework that their parents had given them. Sam shuddered at the thought of doing math equations. It was the apocalypse, couldn't they just let the kids be free from math?

Sam was brought out of his observations when he heard someone approaching him.

He looked up and saw Rick.

"Sheriff, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Rick gave Sam a suspicious look over before speaking. "We're going to have gun practice today. Interested?"

Sam smiled. "Are you saying that you trust me enough to let me use a gun?"

"I'm saying that you haven't caused any problems. And now I'm asking you, if I can trust you?"

"Rick, if I wanted to kill you and everyone here I would have done it the night you let me out of the shed. Right when you all went to bed I could have gone into your tents and slit your throats. But I didn't, because you all seems like a decent sort and I have no intention of becoming a murderer. That being said I already know how to use a gun."

"That may be true, but for all I know you're just saying that. I need to be sure that you know how to use a gun before I let you have one."

Sam grinned and stood up. "Alright then. When do we leave?"

* * *

Shots rang out along the firing line that they had formed twenty-five feet from the fence.

Sam saw one of the farmers people, Jimmy he thought, firing his gun sideway. He quickly walked behind him.

"Hey dumb ass! If you shoot like that then the shell's liable to fly into your eye!" Sam told him. "Hold it right or put the gun down."

Jimmy seemed unnerved by the young Irishman's scolding and aimed the gun properly. He hit the target that time.

"Good, keep aiming your gun like that and you'll be fine."

When they had first arrived Sam had quickly grabbed his pistol and shot down his bottles.

Shane had told him that it was impressive but that bottles weren't moving targets. He didn't even finish his sentence when Sam had aimed upward and shot a flying bird.

Rick had asked him to stick around and help those that were struggling. Thus his yelling at Jimmy for holding his pistol like a stereotypical gangster.

Mostly everyone else was a decent shot. T-Dog hit all his targetss after a few tries. Lori seemed to be decent. Carl was a natural from what he could see. He never had to tell the boy anything since either Rick or Shane were there at all times.

One of the farmers daughters had her gun aimed down at a bottle and seemed to be concentrating intensely on the target. Based on her stance and the way she was holding the gun Sam was sure she was going to miss.

She put her finger on the trigger and slowly squeezed it and… she missed.

"I think you were off a bit." Sam ginned.

She looked back and Sam saw the look of dejection on her face.

"Just a bit though. If you just close up your stance a bit then loosen up your arms you'll hit it."

She gave him a skeptical look but followed his advice. She took aim and pulled the trigger and sure enough she hit her mark.

She beamed and smiled at Sam. "Thanks, I thought I was never gonna hit that thing."

"No problem, you just need to keep hitting the target and it'll be like second nature."

"Soon enough I'll be better than you," she smirked.

"Oh yeah, sure. You killed a bottle. I'll call you in case they ever rise and begin eating the living," Sam joked before walking away.

At the end of the practice everyone had "killed" all of their targets. And Sam and gone up a level in Rick's eyes.

Pretty good day.

* * *

Sam was running a whetstone down the length of his machete when he heard the gate slam. He saw Glenn and the other farmers daughter barreling towards Lori.

"Hey! We got your stuff!"

"Maggie, hang on, please!" Glenn said as he tried to stop the girl.

Lori looked around and spotted Sam, her face looking more and more concerned by the minute.

"Come on in here," Lori said, trying to be discreet.

"Why? Nothing to hide! We got your special delivery right here!" Maggie dug into her bag and began pulling things out and throwing them to the floor. "We got your lotion! Got your conditioner! Your soap opera digest!"

Sam snorted at the last one.

"Maggie," Lori pleaded as she whipped her head toward Sam who was smiling as he watched everything unfold.

"Next time you want something, get it your damn self! We're not your errand boys!" Maggie continued.

"Honey, I-"

Maggie bent down and scooped something off of the ground. "And here's your abortion pills!"

"Oh damn," Sam said as he looked at both women in sock before both Maggie and Glenn walked away.

Lori looked to Sam.

"So you're pregnant I take it?" Sam grinned.

"Don't tell. Please." Lori begged him.

"I could only tell if I heard something. And I didn't hear a thing." Sam grinned and walked away.

* * *

AN: Alright let me know what you guys think. I'll try and work on the story and get the next chapter out as quick as I can but I don't know when that will be. Don't forget to review and I'll see you all later. ~Pacco1


	3. Familiar Faces

**Ch. 3**

Sam didn't really understand what his job was around the camp. No one had assigned him anything and all the runs seemed to be taken care of by Glenn and Maggie. Well at least whenever they weren't avoiding each other. Or screwing.

But he was happy that he had nothing to do. After months on the road and constantly looking over his shoulder he felt relaxed.

"Um guys," Glenn spoke up just as everyone was finishing up their breakfast. "So, uhhh… the barns full of Walkers."

 _Well there goes my good mood_ , San thought as he strapped on his belt, his machete clinking as he fastened it.

After Glenn's shocking revelation the entire group made the long walk to the barn.

Sure enough the moans of the Walkers could be heard from th outside clear as day.

"You cannot tell me you're okay with this?!" Shane demanded.

"I'm not!" Rick spat back, "But we're guests here. This isn't our land!"

"This is our lives!"

"We can't just brush this under the rug," Andrea added.

It ain't right, not remotely," T-Dog added.

"Okay, we've either gotta go in there, we've gotta make things right, or we've just gotta go! Now we've been talking about Fort Benning-"

"What the fuck about Fort Benning?" Sam asked.

"You mind shutting you goddamn mouth!" Shane shouted into Sam's face.

"Right I'll just keep quiet about the complete death trap you want to march the group into," Sam said sarcastically.

"What?" Rick asked as he pushed past Shane.

"Oh Rick he don't know what he's talking about!"

"Enough Shane! Let him talk! What'd you saw about Benning?"

"It's gone. Nothing but ash and the Dead. My friends and I tried to go there when everything started. When we got there it was overrun with 'em. I'm sorry, but Fort Benning's a pipe dream."

"Well then we'll find somewhere else to hole up!" Shane insisted.

"Why would we try and find somewhere else when we've already found a safe place?" Lori demanded.

This sparked an argument among most of the group while others like Sam, Carol, Daryl and the kids stood off just observing. As voices got raised Sam noticed shadows from within the barn shifting more and more. But he didn't say anything. _Let the pounding on the door be their wake up call_.

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When everyone had calmed down they all moved back to the camp. Slowly, most keeping a wary eye on the chained wooden doors of the barn. Fresh memories of the loud creaking and constant moaning and snarling still playing in their minds.

"Conall! Get over here!"Sam heard Shane call out.

He reluctantly turned and took his sweet time shuffling toward the quick tempered man.

"Any day now!"

Sam hid his smirk and walked normally.

"What do you want Shane?"

"I need your help on keeping watch on the barn. I don't want us to get caught with our pants down if that damn thing breaks down."

"It's lasted this long, why shouldn't it last any longer?"

Shane gave him a look of disbelief. "What you think they're people too?"

Sam gritted his teeth. "Those things, killed three of my friends, and stopped me from goin' home. You better believe that I know that they aren't people. But I'm not about to put down a group of Walkers just because you want to. They aren't hurtin'  
anyone."

"Not yet. But what happens when that door breaks down and they start eating Lori, or Carl, or hell man even Sophia!"

"Until that door breaks down I won't kill any of 'em. But just for you, I'll stand watch," Sam said before turning and making his way back to the barn.

* * *

If Sam had to guess he would have thought that he would have just been in watch for an hour before someone came to relieve him. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. He had been staring at the barn for three hours without anyone coming to check in on  
him.

Shane was probably laughing his ass off at how he tricked Sam into taking the shitty watch.

The sound of boots crunching in dirt alerted Sam that someone was coming his way.

He turned and saw Beth coming toward him carrying a glass of what appeared to be lemonade. At least that's what Sam hoped it was. That and it was for him.

"Hey, thought you could use something cold to drink,"she said, offering him the glass.

"Is that actual ice?" Sam asked as he took it.

She laughed. "Yeah, daddy always makes sure that we have some ice in the freezer."

"Generator fuel well spent," Sam said as he placed the cool glass on his neck and face. "I don't even know why I'm out here anymore."

"You're people really are scared of them aren't they?"

Sam gave her a look. "Aren't you?"

"My momma and brother are in there. They never so much as raised their hands to me. All that's wrong with them now is that they're sick."

Sam laughed bitterly. "They're sick alright. They're sick and dead, Beth."

"They ain't dead."

"Yeah they are. Doctors and corners everywhere agreed that they were dead. Didn't you see the broadcasts?"

She shook her head. "Daddy didn't let me. Said he didn't want to scare me."

"I didn't see the broadcasts either. I saw pretty much everything up close. Men shooting the Walkers, and yet they kept coming. I've seen the Walkers eating the living. I've seen them eating kids. It's hell on Earth. They aren't living Beth. They're  
dead. They just don't know it." There was no malice in his voice. He was just telling her the truth, as much as he knew.

"But… what if they're still in there? What if they're still alive?"

"They aren't. If they were they wouldn't try and eat their family. Or their friends. I'm sorry Beth, but they're gone."

Beth didn't say anything after that. She just stood there and tried to process what he had just said.

* * *

Beth eventually left. She gave Sam some excuse about chores.

Glenn eventually came over and Sam felt a bit of relief surged through him, thinking that he was finally getting relieved from guard duty.

"Please tell me you're here to take over," he said.

Glenn grimaced. "Sorry. Shane just thought you would want some company… and an extra hand just in case the doors broke."

"How considerate," he remarked dryly. "Did he at least give you a gun?"

Glenn shook his head. "No he didn't."

"Well it looks like he sees us both as equally expendable."

"Come on, it's not like the doors are gonna break down."

"I don't think they will. But Shane does, otherwise he wouldn't have us out here."

Sam pulled out a deck of cards. "You play Poker?"

"Oh uh, I'm not good at it. I suck at lying."

"It's either this or we don't do anything at all."

Glenn opened his mouth to respond but something caught his eye and he ran off.

"Glenn?" Sam asked. He turned and saw What the other boy was running to, then he understood.

Maggie Greene was walking across the field and Glenn was going to her.

"Alone again." As Sam watched Glenn go and talk to Maggie he said screw it and made his way to the Greene house. He was done with waiting by the barn for something that wasn't going to happen.

Most of the group was standing on the porch of the house as well by the time that Sam reached it.

Most were just discussing where the group's de facto leaders were since they had been missing for most of the day. Not a word from any of them besides guard the barn.

"Here we go" Daryl said as he spotted Shane carrying the bag of guns walking towards them.

Everyone was getting nervous seeing Shane with all those guns. Sam stood up, pointing to the duffel bag. "What's all this?"

"You with me, man?" He asked Daryl, handing him a gun. Daryl grabbed it without hesitation.

"It's time to grow up. You already got your's?" He asked Andrea.

"Yeah... where's Dale?"

"He's on his way"

"I thought we couldn't carry" T-Dog grabbed a gun.

"We can and we have to" he raised his voice now, making sure they could all hear him. "Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe, but now we know it ain't. How about you, man?" he  
walked up to Glenn, holding out a gun. "You gonna protect your's?"

He looked at Maggie and looked at the gun, grabbing it but looking furious with himself.

"What about you Paddy?" He held out a shotgun fro took the gun and pumped a shell into the chamber.

"Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight!" Maggie told him.

"We have to stay, Shane!" Carl shouted.

"What is this?" Lori came out of nowhere.

"We ain't going anywhere, okay?" He assured Carl. "Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay? Well, he's gonna have to." He said as he got on one knee and handed Carl a revolver. "You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do  
whatever it takes, you know how. Go on, take the gun"

Lori quickly stood in between the two and snatched the gun out of Shane's hands. "Rick said no guns, this is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

"Oh shit" T-Dog was looking at something in the distance. The group looked over and they all saw Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy walking... Walkers with animal catchers.

"What is that?" Shane asked no one and began sprinting towards them. Everyone else followed. "What the hell are you doin'?" Shane yelled at Rick when he was close enough.

"Shane, just back off!" Rick ordered him as he was struggling to control the walker on the leash.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel shouted to Rick.

"Are you kiddin' me? You see what they're holdin' on to?!" Shane asked the rest of the group. Sam nervously clutched the rifle as he saw SHane become more and more agitated and hostile.

"I see who I'm holdin' on to!" Hershel spat at him.

"Nah man, you don't!"

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk"

Shane began to pace as he yelled. "What do you wanna talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them cause all they do, is kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed  
Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us!" With every word that Shane yelled, the walkers became more and more agitated.

"Shane, shut up!"

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you somethin'. Could a living, breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane asked as he pulled out his handgun and shot the walker that Hershel was holding three times in the chest.

"Stop it!" Rick was shaking with anger.

"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still comin'?" He shot at the walker two more times "That's its heart, it's lungs. Why is it still comin'?!" He shot at it another three times.

"Shane, enough!"

Sam raised his gun and leveled it at Shane. "Fuckin' stop this! That's enough!"

Shane slammed his fist into Sam's face and threw the shotgun away.

"Yeah, you're right man. That is enough" He was about five feet away from the bullet ridden walker when he shot it in the head. The sudden deadweight on Hershel's leash nearly pulled him down. "Enough living next to a barn full of things that are  
trying to kill us. Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before. Now, if you wanna live, if you wanna survive, you gotta fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now!"

Sam slowly stood up and wiped the blood from his nose. He looked up just in time to see Shane ripping the chains off of the barn doors.

"Oh fuck!"

Sam scrambled for the shotgun that had been ripped out of his hands while the others had formed a **U** around the barns doors and began firing at the emerging Walkers.

Once Sam grabbed the shotgun he got to his feet and took aim.

The gunfire that they had caused was deafening. Sam would have winced at the amount of noise if he wasn't already used to hearing such things.

During the beginning of the outbreak the sound of rapid and constant gunfire was constant. Sam's ears had rung and rung during that time. But he got used to it.

Walker after Walker fell to the ground as the group sent bullets flying into the deceased family and friends of the Greene family.

Sam was sure he could hear their sobbing. If only just barely over the sound of the guns.

When the last Walker hit the ground Sam had to fight the urge to put a bullet in Shane's head.

He had done this. He was the reason why the Greene's and their friends were on the ground crying. They didn't need to do it. To kill their already dead friends. But they had, all because of Shane.

Then they heard it. The sound of a Walker shuffling toward the barn entrance. Sam checked his gun. Empty. He knew that the others must've have the same problem as most of them turned to Rick.

The Walker came into the light, and Sam's breath hitched in his throat.

"Michael?" his voice sounded hoarse.

The Walkers head snapped to Sam. It's decaying body still showing signs of Sam's friend. The torn and bloody green shirt, the mud covered black boots, it's face.

It was Michael.

"Fuck, I thought you would've made it," he threw the gun to the ground and faced Rick, "can I borrow your gun?"

Rick nodded and drew his pistol. "I can do it, if you want."

"No, he'd kick my airse if I let someone else do it," Sam took the pistol. "Sorry Michael. I'll see you again."

The shot cracked through the air, and Michael's body fell to the ground. As lifeless as it had been when it was walking.

* * *

Hey guys! So here's chapter three. I hope you guys like it and don't forget to drop a review! Until next time! ~Pacco1


	4. Looking in the Bottle

Ch. 4

No one spoke. They only cried.

Well, no one cried, except for the Greene's.

They cried a lot. Over their loved ones that had departed the world so long ago, but whose bodies stayed up and walking. Trying to kill them.

Sam didn't care for their feelings right now though. He had a friend to bury.

"Rick. You can have your gun back now."

Rick took the gun and holstered it. "Are you alright?"

"I just shot my best friend in the head Rick. I've known him since we were five. I ate dinner at his house. My family went to church with his. We fuckin' did everything together. Am I alright? You better fuckin' believe I'm not." Sam left Rick and the  
others standing there and picked his friends body off the ground.

Sam knew where he would bury him. Under a tree near the edge of the property. Shaded and overlooking the fields, but still close to the woods. Michael would have liked that.

It took him an hour to dig the grave and put Michael into it. An hour spent in silence, and sadness.

But after the grave was filled, and the sound of a shovel digging into the ground had gone away, Sam took a seat and reached into his pack.

"After we split up, I found Liam washed up on the side of a creek. He had been dead for a few days. He was just covered in mud and half sunk into the ground. He never was the strongest swimmer," Sam pulled out a bottle from his pack. "He still had this  
on him though. Sentimental bastard. I poured a little on his grave and then took a swig."

Sam tilted the bottle and let the whiskey flow onto the grave. "Don't drink it too fast. That's all you're getting until we meet again. Sleep well Michael. Goodbye brother."

As he walked back to the farm Sam felt the stinging of tears in his eyes. It was all so fucked. He didn't know if any of his friends were alive, he was stranded in America with no way to get back to Ireland. And the two leaders of the group were in a  
power struggle that was bound to end in one way, blood.

Sam just hoped that Rick would wise up before anything major happened and Shane killed him. He hoped.

When he stumbled into the camp there was no one there. Not even the kids or Dale, who was always within a few feet of the R.V. every time Sam saw him.

But then he spotted someone. They were making their way to one of the blue pickup trucks that belonged to the Greenes.

He quickly sprinted over to ask what was going on when he saw the driver.

"Hershel?" Sam asked as he leaned against the passenger window."What are you doing?'

"I'm going to get drunk," He responded bluntly.

"Oh well, I didn't really expect you to be upfront about that." Hershel just stared at the boy. "Room for one more? I could use a good drink right now."

"You have some right there," Hershel pointed to the bottle hanging out of Sam's bag.

"Special occasions only, and even then one drink limit."

"Get in."

* * *

"-so then Michael looks Mr. Riley straight in the eye and says ' _I swear sir, I'm an open book. Now some of those pages are torn out or shredded to shite, and I do believe that a few chapters are in Spanish, but I am an open book!'_ And considering  
what he did to the library, and the fact that most of the books were spanish books, I'm surprised he wasn't expelled right then and there."

"How is it he managed to shred half of the schools language section without anyone noticing?" Hershel asked as he refilled our glasses.

"I was always the distraction while Michael did whatever he had to do. It was just the way we worked together. We were always close. Closer than the rest of our group," Sam drained his glass and refilled it again.

"How long did you two know each other?"

Sam shrugged. "Our whole lives basically. So seventeen years I guess. Through thick and thin. Only took the apocalypse to drive us apart. We were brothers in everything but blood. I really thought that out of the two of us he would have made it. When  
everything happened, he had all the ideas. He knew what to do. But to see him like that…"

Sam felt a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. When I saw Shane put bullets into Lou… and then open those doors to the barn, I felt as if everything I had was gone. That my life was over, and well, I guess that's why I'm here. Hoping to find what I lost  
at the bottom of a bottle."

"If it makes you feel any better, that was popular before the apocalypse. My da, he would look and look, but he would never find anything, so he would come home and take it out on me."

"My father was the same. He would come home and use his fists to show me how he felt. When he died I did not go to him, and that is something I will never regret."

Sam raised his glass. "Cheers mate."

Hershel drank deeply and refilled his glass, but strangely enough he didn't drink.

"What is it like out there?" Sam looked to Hershel with a puzzled expression. "On the road. Rick tells me that it's horrible, but from what I've gathered, he wasn't even on the road for more than a few days. So what is it like? Truley."

Sam knocked back his glass and slammed it onto the bar. His hand reached to his belt where he kept his gun and hovered it there. Doing it made him feel safe. After three months on the road, it was the only way he was able to fall asleep or feel relaxed.

By knowing that he had his gun with him. Ready to use.

"I'm not nearly drunk enough to answer that Hershel," Sam said, trying to seem light hearted.

Hershel just nodded, "Just tell me one thing. Is it as bad as Rick makes it seem?"

Sam shook his head. "No, it's worse. Far worse."

* * *

"They thought that they were being clever. But I knew that Maggie was on the pill the moment she was through the door. Not wanting anyone to handle her bags, especially the one that had all of her toiletries. She was never like that before, but once she  
was home from college she was nothing if not secretive."

Sam laughed and stumbled from behind the bar, looking for the next bottle the two of them would drink.

"From what I've heard she's always been a bit of a wild card. In a good way of course."

"When she was twelve she was caught shoplifting a packet of cigarettes."

Sam shrugged. "Could be worse. She could have ruined half of the library."

Hershel opened his mouth to respond but was cut off when the two of them heard a car pull up outside of the bar.

Sam felt himself sober up some almost immediately and he hovered his hand above his pistol.

The footsteps clanked loudly against the wooden frame of the outside of the bar. Sam thought that it was two people. Then the shadows on the windows confirmed his theory.

The doorknob clicked and Sam gripped his pistol tightly, ready to draw it when needed. But then he relaxed his grip.

It was just Rick and Glenn.

"Hershel, Sam," Rick said as he strolled into the bar.

"Rick, come on in. Want a drink?"

"Who's with you?" Hershel asked instead of greeting them.

"Glenn."

"Maggie sent him?"

Sam stepped away from the bar and let them talk.

"How many have you two had?"

"Not enough," Hershel said as he swirled the contents of his glass.

"I was just about done," Sam said as he set the bottle he had found on the bar.

"Let's finish this up back at home," Rick whispered. "Beth collapsed. In some sort of state. Must be in shock, I think you two are as well."

"Maggies with her?"

"Yeah, but Beth needs you."

Hershel scoffed and took a drink. "What could I do? Se needs her mother, or rather, to mourn. Like she should have done weeks ago. I robbed her of that. I see that now."

"You thought there was a cure," Rick reasoned, "You can't blame yourself for holding onto hope."

Hershel finished his glass and set it down. "Hope?" He smiled and faced Rick, "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had a little hope he would survive."

"He did."

Hershel nodded. "He did. Even though we lost man Shane made it back, and we saved your boy. _That_ was the miracle that proved to me that miracles do it was a sham. A bait and switch. I was a fool Rick. And your people saw that… my daughters deserved  
better than that."

He began to pour again. And Rick walked back to talk with Glenn.

"What do we do? Wait for him to pass out?" Glenn tried to whisper quietly.

"Just go!" Rick turned and faced Hershel. "Just go!"

"I promised Maggie I would bring you home safe."

Hershel chuckled. "Like you promised that little girl? If it wasn't for Sam she would have died!"

Rick stormed over to the bar. "So what's your plan? Finish that bottle? Drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?"

Hershel shot up from his stool. "Stop telling me how to care for my family! For my farm. You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!"

"The world was already in bad shape when we met," Rick pointed out.

"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be their leader!"

"Well I'm here now aren't I?!" Rick shouted, finally losing his cool.

"Yes. Yes… yes you are," Hershel sat down.

"Come on! Your girls need you now, more than ever," Rick put his hand on Hershels, but the old farmer brushed it away.

"I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that those people were sick! I didn't want to believe you/ but when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been. That Annette, and Shawn, and  
even Sam's friend Michael had been dead and I was feeding rotting corpses! That's when I knew there was no hope!" He turned and faced Sam. "And when that boy came out of the barn, the look on your face, that's when I knew there was no hope. That there  
was no hope for any of us."

Sam looked to the ground and Rick looked to Glenn who shook his head.

Cautiously Sam walked over to Hershel.

"Hershel. Listen, I think we should get back-"

"Oh not you too!"

"Listen to me! Do you want to be like our fathers? A man who practically lives in a bar only to come home when it's too late? Because let me tell you right now old man, that's where you're heading, and if you get there your children will hate you. I hated  
mine… you hated yours. What makes you think your kids'll be any different?"

"Look I'm done, I'm not doing this anymore!" Rick said once he was done talking to Glenn."Cleaning up after you. You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death, it's always been there, whether it's from heart attack, cancer, or a walker,  
what's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before did you? Now there are people back at home trying to hang on. They need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves. You know what, this-  
this isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them."

The bar was quiet. Glenn stood by the door shifting the weight of his gun between his hands. Sam looked on at Hershel and Rick, a bit of respect for the former sheriff in his eyes.

Hershel though, he knocked back the last of his whiskey and slammed it on the bar. He was done drinking.

Sam smiled and patted the old farmer on the shoulder.

Then the doors opened, and Sam felt the need to grab his pistol again.

"Son of a bitch, they're alive." Two men had just walked into the bar, and Sam thought that they could not have looked more different.

One was a muscular man in a tank top and surprisingly enough, he seemed to have some sort of product in his hair.

The other would have been a poster child for american obesity. He had a plain white shirt and was wearing a hat, but Sam was more concerned with the shotgun he had in his hands rather than what he was wearing. And from Rick's face, so was he.

The two of them smiled and laughed at the sight of living people. They pulled up chairs and sat down, but not before grabbing a half full bottle of whiskey and pouring themselves some.

"I'm Dave," the skinny one introduced himself, "the scrawny looking douche bag there is tony."

"Eat me Dave."

"Hey maybe someday I will." He laughed at his own joke. "We met on I-95, coming out of Philly. Damn shit show that was."

"I'm Glenn," he said with a broad grin, "It's nice to meet some new people."

"Rick Grimes."

"Samuel Conall."

Dave smiled, "What's that accent? Irish?" Sam nodded. "So you got stranded out here huh?"

"Me and a couple of my friends. They didn't make it. Rick and Hershel here were kind enough to let me tag along with them."

Dave took a sip of his drink and looked to Hershel. "How about you pal, you want one?"

"I just quit."

"You got a unique sense of timing my friend." Sam could tell he wasn't going to like this guy.

"Like Sam said his names Hershel. They lost people today."

Dave actually looked sorry. "I'm truly sorry to hear that. To better days and new friends. And to our dead, may they be in a better place."

Sam dumped a little of his whiskey on the floor before drinking like the others.

Dave set his glass down and both rick and Sam saw the gun that was in his waistband.

"Not bad, huh?" he grabbed the gun and held it out to Rick. "I got it off a cop."

"I'm a cop."

"This one was already dead." Dave and Tony both laughed.

"You two are a long way from Philadelphia," Sam said.

"You're a long way from Ireland," Tony retorted.

"Not by choice."

"Well to be honest, it feels like we're a long way from anywhere," Dave interrupted.

"What drove you south?" Rick questioned.

"Well I can tell you it wasn't the weather. I must've dropped thirty pounds in sweat alone down here." Sam had to give him that, it was hot in Georgia. "No first it was D.C. I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed  
we never got close. We decided to get off the highways and into the sticks."

Sam nodded, it was what his original group had done when Atlanta turned out to be bullshit.

"Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing."

"One guy told us there was a coast guard sitting in the gulf, sending ferries to the islands."

"The latest was a rail yard running trains to the middle of the country, Kansas, Nebraska."

"Nebraska?" Glenn asked.

"Low population, lots of guns," Tony chuckled.

"Kinda makes sense," Glenn said.

"You ever been to Nebraska kid?" DAve asked, and Glenn shook his head. "A reason they call 'em flyover states."

Sam noticed a shared look between Dave and Tony.

"How about you guys?"

"Just drifting right now," Rick told them, "We were originally going to go to Fort Benning but Sam told us that it was gone."

Dave laughed. "Gone is an understatement my friend. We ran across a grunt that was stationed at Benning and he said that the whole place was either overrun by lame brains or burnt to the ground. Truth is, there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going  
from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab ahold of you in your sleep."

"If you sleep," Tony added.

"You know it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here. You holed up somewhere else?"

Sam put his hand near his gun. "We actually just got out of a pretty bad spot. Walkers came out of nowhere, swarmed out camp. We were the only ones to make it out. That's how Hershel lost his family."

Rick gave Sam a discreet nod.

Dave nodded "Well we're thinking about setting up around here. Is it safe?"

"It can be," Glenn told them. "Although I've killed a couple Walkers around here."

"You both called 'em that, Walkers. That what you call 'em?" They all nodded. "That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains."

"So since Bennings a bust where you guys thinking about setting up? The outskirts, that new development?

Tony got up and waddled across the bar "A trailer park or something? A farm?"

Dave began singing "Old McDonald". "You got a farm?"

No one said anything as the tension in the room rose, and the sound of Tony pissing in the corner filled the room.

"Is it safe?"

"It's gotta be."

"You got food water?"

Sam met Ricks eyes and shot him a look that said ' _These guys are casing us. We need to go.'_

"You got cooze? Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks," Rick gave Sam a look that told him that he knew.

"Listen pardon my friend, you see city kids they got no tact. No disrespect. So listen Glenn-"

"We've said enough." Rick interupted.

"Well hang on a second. This farm, it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it sound sweet Tony?'

"Yeah real sweet."

"How about a little southern Hospitality?" Sam's hand closed around the grip of his pistol. "We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We could pull our resources, our manpower!"

"Look I'm sorry that's not an option," Rick told them.

Sam knew what would come next.

"Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem."

"I'm sorry we can't," Hershel told them.

Dave laughed. "You guys are something else. I thought- I thought we were friends."

"Drinking buddies aren't always the best friends," Sam told him.

"Look we just got people we gotta look out for too."

"And so do we," Sam told him.

"We don't know anything about you," Rick pointed out.

Dave nodded, "No that's true. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there, things we've had to do."

' _I bet you enjoyed them too'_ Sam thought as he kept an eye on the fat one, who seemed to be glaring at Rick.

"I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself, am I right?" Rick continued to meet Dave's gaze.

"You don't survive the Apocalypse with clean hands," Sam said.

"True enough," Dave smiled. "So come on, let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other."

Rick looked down at his glass. "That's not gonna happen."

' _And know they know for sure we've got a farm,'_ Sam thought to himself.

"This is bullshit!" Tony yelled.

"Calm down," Rick ordered him.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Don't ever tell me to calm down!"

"Alright let's just all take it easy!" Sam said taking his hand off his gun for a split second.

"I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn Farm," in less than a second Rick was on his feet and Sam's hand was back on his pistol, ready to draw.

Dave rushed to get between the two. "Whoa Whoa Whoa! Relax. Take it easy. Nobody's killing anybody. Nobody's shooting anybody right Rick?" Dave hoped over the bar so that Rick was sandwiched between him and Tony.

Rick's hand went to his gun and Tony reached for his. Sam slowly drew his but kept it hidden behind the bar. Dave placed his on the bar in clear view so that Rick wouldn't see him as a threat.

"We're just friends having a drink, that's all. Now where's the good stuff?"Dave bent behind the bar and Rick placed his hand on his gun again. Dave came back up smiling, carrying a bottle of whiskey. "Hey! Look at that! That'll work."

Everyone was beginning to become unhinged. Sam could see Glenn glancing around the room nervously and Hershel eyed Dave with a look of both fear and distaste.

"You gotta understand Rick, we can't stay out there. You know what it's like."

"Yeah I do. But the farm is too crowded as is. I'm sorry. You'll have to keep looking."

"Keep look- wheredo you suggest we do that?"

"I don't know. I hear Nebraska's nice." Sam smirked.

Dave laughed. "Nebraska," Sam saw his give a look to Tony and raise his eyebrows, "Theseguys."

Dave lunged for his gun but Rick drew first and sent a round into his chest splattering the wall behind him with blood.

Sam raised his gun and shot Tony in the head before he could even lift his shotgun. Tony pulled the trigger of his gun as his heavy body fell to the floor.

All happened in less than a second. Both dead before they hit the ground.

' _Well fuck.'_

* * *

AN: Here's chapter 4! Hope you guys liked it and I'll see you next time! Also I changed the name because I didn't like the previous name, sorry. Don't forget to leave a review! ~Pacco1


	5. Knowledge

**Ch. 5**

"We need to go." Sam broke the silence that had taken a hold of the bar since the shots had been fired. "Now."

He went to Tony's body and grabbed his shotgun. "Hershel you still know how to shoot?"

"I know how but I don't enjoy it."

"I'm not asking you to enjoy it, just to keep them away."

"Wait a minute, just hold on, we need to be smart about this. They probably have more people," Rick pointed to where Dave's corpse was, "He said as much."

As if on cue the four of them heard a car pull up and men begin talking.

"Shit, cover!" Sam whispered as everyone took cover near the front of the bar.

Several male voices began talking about the men that Rick and Sam had just killed.

"What do we do?" Glenn whispered.

"Rick how many of them can you see?" Sam asked the sheriff.

"Three, I think there's only three."

"Armed?"

"Shotguns and pistols," Rick said as he looked away from the curtain.

"Did you guys check the bar?" a voice asked from outside the bar.

"Uh no we didn't."

"What we're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the goddamn bar?" Multiple pairs of footsteps pounded on the ground as they neared the bar.

Sam felt his pulse quicken and he took aim at the door.

The door knob jiggled and opened an inch, but Glenn used his body to keep it shut.

"Whoa what was that?"

"Did someone push it shut?"

"Hello?" the first voice asked. "Hey we're not looking for trouble! We just want to find our friends!" Sam saw Rick's knuckles turn white. "W just-"

"They drew on us!" Rick shouted. Sam grimaced, he knew more people were about to die.

"What?"

"What'd he say?"

"They drew on us! We had no choice!"

The men outside began talking amongst themselves.

"What do we do?" Glenn asked once more.

Sam looked at Rick, "We should-"

"Take this asshole!" Gunshots sounded through the street and into the bar.

Sam docked and saw as wooden splinters went into the air wherever bullets hit.

"Get to the back!" Sam yelled as he fired at the front of the bar, bullets making holes in the dark wood of the door.

Glenn made it through the door first, then Hershel.

"Sam get in there!" Rick yelled as he fired at the front of the bar.

Sam ducked through and enter the store room behind Hershel.

The firing stopped and the four of them caught their breath as the adrenaline began to leave their systems.

Sam looked up and saw a shadow in the window of the door. Without thinking he raised his gun and fired, shattering the glass on the door and whoever was there running off.

"Glenn take point," Sam said as he slammed a new clip into his gun. "I'll cover you, Hershel you stay back."

"Wait they're probably waiting for us." Rick told Sam.

"That's why I'll cover him. Rick we'll do this, you and Hershel 'll cover the back in case they come in from the bar. If there's three of them then that's good, they don't know how many of us there are. We can use that. If they don't know how many there are of us, then they'll be cautious. They're scared right now. Let's use it."

Rick gave Sam a strange look. "How do you know this? How do you know what their thinking?"

Sam grimaced, as if he had said too much. "Later."

"No right now."

"Rick, there are men trying to kill us right now. If you want to talk later then fine, but let's just survive the night right now, yeah?"

Rick scowled but nodded. "As soon as this is over I want an explanation."

"Glenn, let's go!" Sam turned back to Rick. "We'll get the car Hershel and I came in and pull up back. We'll run for it, and get the hell out of here."

Glenn opened the door and slowly took a step out. He check both sides of the alley, carefully. He kept his shotgun up and took a step out.

Sam's body was practically hugging the door, his feet crushing the shards of broken glass. He kept his eye and gun leveled in the opposite direction of where Glenn was aiming. He saw the tiniest of twitches of movement in his peripheral. A man. But more importantly, a man with a gun.

The man managed to fire his gun twice before Sam turned and sent a round into his gut and chest. But he wasn't dead, Sam could see his writhing on the floor in pain, and groaning loudly as he clutched his wounds.

Sam looked to where Glenn had been but only saw his shoes sticking out from behind the dumpster. Then he heard snarling.

"Shit," he said, "Walkers! We got a lot of 'em coming!"

One by one they began coming out of the darkness. The screams belonging to the man that Sam had shot drew more in. The began to close in on him, making his screams go from pain, to terror.

"Glenn! You good?" Sam didn't get an answer.

"Sam what's going on?" Rick questioned him.

"He shot at me. Glenn's behind the dumpster. I don't think he's hit, just scared." Sam said, there was no judgement in his voice though. He had been there himself once, not anymore.

Rick slowly stepped into the alley, a gun raised in either direction. "You hit?" He asked as he approached the dumpster. "Are you hit?"

Sam looked away from the man he had shot toward the dumpster.

"No. No." Sam sighed with relief when he heard Glenn's voice.

Sam got out of cover and made his way to Glenn. "Glenn, don't worry, you still in control of your bowels?" Glenn gave Sam a look but nodded. "That's good. Me , the first time I got under fire, I shit myself so bad I smelled for a week. If you didn't shit yourself then your already loads better at keeping your cool then me."

Glenn cracked a smile despite himself.

"Ok, the cars right there," Rick said, "We're almost home. You two good?"

"I'm good," Glenn said.

"Aye I'm good. Let's go."

"Ok, let's go." Rick popped out of cover with Glenn trailing him. As soon as they were a few inches from the dumpster however, gunshots began to pepper the area forcing them back into cover.

"Back, get back!" Rick ordered Glenn as a shot pinged the dumpster.

"I see him!" Sam said as he lifted his head out of cover. "On the roof of the Pharmacy. Out of range for our guns."

An SUV pulled up and stopped in front of the pharmacy just then.

"Come on we gotta get out of here! Roamers all over the place!" the diver shouted at the man on the roof.

"What about Sean?" Sam looked toward the man he had shot who was still rolling on the floor in pain. Not an ounce of guilt in him.

"They shot him! We gotta go! Roamers are everywhere!" The driver shouted. "Jump!"

The boy on the roof tried to hop down, but failed in such a spectacular fashion that had money been worth anything other than wiping your ass, Sam would have felt like he owed the boy some.

He began to scream and begged the driver for help, but the driver shouted that he had to go. He said that he was sorry, but that didn't slow the car down as he drove away.

"Sam with me, Glenn get Hershel." Rick ordered as he got out of cover and made his way to the boy who was screaming for help.

Sam and Rick sprinted across the street and found that the dumbass that had jumped off the roof had impaled his leg onto a fence.

"Help me! Please help me!" He kept begging.

Sam examined the wound as Rick shoved his gun in the mans face, yelling for him to shut up.

Hershel and Glenn came forward just a few seconds later.

"Sam! Rick! We have to go now." Hershel informed the two.

"NO!" the boy sobbed.

Rick shushed him

"I'm sorry son," Hershel told the boy. "We have to go."

The boy sprang up. "No don't leave me Please!"

"We have to go Rick, now!" Sam told him.

"We can't!" Rick told them.

"He was just shooting at us!" Glenn bellowed.

Sam heard more Walkers and saw that they were beginning to fill the streets.

"He's a kid!"

"This place is crawling with Walkers!" Sam told the sheriff.

"We can't leave him!"

"The fence went clean through, there's no way we can get the leg off in one piece." Hershel said as he examined the wound.

"Then fucking chop it off or put a bullet in him, either way we gotta go!" Sam shouted as he fired at the incoming Walkers, Glenn taking up position beside him.

The boy began to scream again.

"Shut up! Shut up or I will shoot you!" Rick threatened.

"Do it!" Sam shouted. "He won't make it! That legs gone, and he'll lose to much blood! We need to go!"

"Why don't we just cut off his leg?" Glenn asked as he stopped shooting.

"Will this cut through bone?" Sam tuned them out and began focusing on the Walkers. He saw Glenn beside him again.

They began shooting them as quickly as possible but there were simply to many of them.

"We need to go now!" Sam shouted at the others. "I'm almost out of ammo!"

"Do it now Hershel!"

"There's no time!" Hershel abandoned the preparations to amputate the boys leg and climbed down from the fence. The walkers were beginning to close in on them and the boy would not shut up.

Then Rick tore the kids leg off of the fence, and he screamed louder than a banshee.

* * *

The ride back was a long one.

No radio was one of the things that Sam missed the most, since it would help with the terrible awkward silences that were his family's car drives.

But the silence that occupied the car now, was worse than that to him. It was more… deathly quiet than awkwardly quiet. And with good reason, because Sam never remembered having a boy with a hole the size of a golf ball in his leg tied up in the back of his family's car. And if there was one then his dad was worse than he originally thought.

"We're coming up on the farm," Rick told everyone.

"I need a nap." Sam said.

"Well you can get one. After our talk. Yeah I didn't forget about that."

"Fine, talk first, nap later."

When the car Stopped Rick climbed out first and hugged Carl and Lori, while Glenn received a hug from Maggie, and Hershel and Sam were standing there feeling just a tab bit left out.

"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery." Hershel said as he stormed into his house.

"Who the hell is that?!" T-Dog asked, pointing to the boy named Randall we had duct taped in the back seat of the car.

"His names Randall." Sam told them. "He tried to kill us."

Rick explained to the group his reasoning for bringing the boy back but, like Sam expected, not many liked the idea of having him there.

Shane was the most… vocal about his displeasure.

"Look at this folks , we back in Fantasyland!" He shouted as he attempted to leave the dining room.

"You know we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet!" Hershel yelled. "Let me make this perfectly clear once and for all, this is my farm. Now I wanted you gone, Rick talked me out of it-"

"Bad move Rick," Sam muttered under his breathe.

"- but that doesn't mean I have to like it! So do us both a favor- keep your mouth shut."

Shane walked away without saying a word.

Everyone else began leaving as well. Glenn got dragged to the kitchen to talk with Maggie, Carol went after Daryl. And everyone else just scattered.

"Sam," he turned and saw Rick, "how about that talk now."

"Of course."

"Not here. Come with me."

Rick led Sam away from the house and to a secluded spot of the farm. From what Sam had gathered, they had killed a Walker that was stuck in a well near the place they were at.

"So Sam, how did you know so much about those guys?"

"I wasn't with them if that's what you're asking. As to how I know about how they think. That's a complicated story."

"We got nothing but time."

"Rick, before I tell you this, let me just tell you one thing. What I told Dave and Tony, you don't survive the Apocalypse with cleave hands, that's true for everyone."

Rick stepped closer. "So what, you've killed people?"

"Robbed and killed," Sam admitted. "We were hungry, and desperate. It was an accident the first time. And then easier the second. We did it for a month-"

Ricks fist connected with Sam's jaw and he went sprawling in the floor.

"Ah, fuck!"

"What else have you done?"

"That's it! What you think I've done worse? You think I've raped people?! I was hungry Rick, not looking for a fuck! I was focused on surviving!"

"So that makes you better?"

"Fuck no! It just means that I didn't cross a line that most do. Am I better than most people? Fuck no! But I still have standards!"

Rick was silent and Sam saw his hand twitch for his gun, but the sheriff never drew.

"If I ever think, that you're a threat to this group… I'll kill you."

Sam scoffed. "I could have lied Rick. I could've told you I just fought raiders."

"Yeah, you could've."

"Just remember that Rick," Sam turned to walk away.

"Sam," he turned and looked back at Rick. "Your gun. Leave it."

Sam hesitated, but he unbuckled his gun belt and dropped it to the floor. He got a certain satisfaction knowing Rick had to bend down and pick it up.

* * *

AN: Here is Chapter 5 guys. Sorry if the grammar is not up to standard, I'm writing it a bit later than usual. Don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you next time! ~Pacco1


	6. Same Words, Different Day

**Ch. 6**

It had been a week since they had brought Randall back from town, and the atmosphere had been… tense, to say the least.

Beth had woken up. Or at least come out of her state. It took a bit of doing but Hershel managed to get her to "wake up".

And from what Sam had heard, she was messed up. He wouldn't be surprised if she was planning on offing herself. After everything that had happened to her it made sense.

Hell, Sam had those kinds of thoughts after he had been separated and come to the realization that he would never see his brother, sister, and mother again. Not his father though, fuck him.

Ever since Rick had taken his gun though, Sam had felt useless. That was how it was when he was with his friends and they were… scavenging. If you didn't have a gun you were useless. No gun, no contribution, no purpose.

Sam had gone to Dale first, asking if he had anything that needed doing. There was nothing that he could help with. Sam couldn't help but notice the suspicious glance he got from him.

Next up was Andrea, but he did no better there. In fact he did noticeably worse, because all he got from her was a glare. Not even a word.

Sam worked his way over to Glenn next. If nothing else he would be able to tell him why he was getting the cold shoulder.

"Glenn, hey Glenn I need to talk with you!" Sam said as he ran up to him.

Glenn turned and faced him, his eyes widened and he stumbled back a bit. "Oh uh, h-hey Sam. Uh what's up?"

Sam took in the boy's appearance and how he seemed to look at him, then it clicked as to why everyone was treating him differently.

"Rick told you all. Didn't he?"

"W-what?"

"Rick told you what I did before I found this group."

"Oh! No! Sam- I mean what would Rick tell-"

"Glenn you're a good guy, but a shit liar." Sam told him. "I gotta go."

Sam turned and made for the house. He hoped that Hershel would at least let him explain before he passed judgment.

The house seemed quiet. More so than usual. Ever since he had been there the house seemed to have a lack of noise, a lack of life in it. It unsettled Sam. The pictures showed life and laughter, but the house showed nothing but an eerie silence.

Sam saw Maggie and Lori whispering to each other, or at least trying.

"We can't leave her alone-"

"Maggie," Sam said as he walked up to the two. He noticed that they reacted as everyone else had. "Have you seen Hershel?"

"Uh, no I-"

"Why do you have that?" Lori demanded, pointing at Sam's machete.

"Rick took my gun, not my machete."

"Well I don't think you should be carrying that."

"Well I don't give a goddamn what you think. Maggie, where's Hershel?" Sam asked again.

"He's fixing one of the fences." Maggie said quietly.

"Alight, do you mind if I wait in here for him?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea?" Lori answered for her.

"I didn't ask you, Lori. Maggie, may I please wait in here for Hershel?"

Maggie looked to Lori who shook her head no. "I… uh, the machete stays outside."

"Fair enough," Said said, he unclipped the machete and walked it out to the front porch.

He waited for ten minutes. No Hershel. Ten more. Still no Hershel.

He might not have seen the old man, but he did hear some interesting things. Like Beth was in her room talking about killing herself, and Lori and Maggie had no idea what to do.

"Maggie," Sam spoke up from his seat. "I can help."

"Excuse me?"

"Your sister, she wants to kill herself right? I can help."

Lori scoffed. "And what makes you think you can help? Didn't you _kill_ people?"

"And what makes you think you're so high and mighty? Didn't you fuck your husband's best friend?" Sam countered. "Maggie, trust me, I can talk her out of it. Besides, what else have you got to lose?"

* * *

Maggie didn't get it. Neither did Lori.

They thought that she was being dumb and selfish for wanting to kill herself. That she didn't know what she wanted. But for the first time since it all started, Beth felt like she finally did know what she wanted.

Beth curled into her covers, and buried her head into the pillow.

She shouldn't have taken the knife like that. It was a stupid move on her part. Now they were watching her like a hawk, trying to keep her from opening her wrists.

But who were they to decide? If she wanted to do it then she should have been able to kill herself.

 _Knock Knock._

Beth turned to the door. Neither Maggie or Lori had knocked before.

"C-come in," she said unevenly.

The door cracked open and the Irish boy walked into the room. Though he didn't have any of his weapons.

"So," he said as he pulled up a chair next to her bed, "I hear you want to off yourself."

Beth raised an eyebrow at his approach. "What are you doing here?"

"Why do you want to off yourself?"

"That's none of your business."

He cracked a smile and leaned back in his chair. "You're right, it isn't. But I'm curious, so come on, tell me."

Beth looked away from him. "You wouldn't understand."

"I would, actually," Beth heard him rolling up his sleeves, and she fought the urge to look. "You think you're the only one that's ever wanted to kill yourself in this mess? Believe me Blondie, you aren't."

Beth wiped her head back to face him. "You haven't lost what I have!"

"Oh no?!" He shot out of his seat, wrists out in the open, showing a network of crisscrossed scars along his left forearm. "Who do you think I shot coming out that barn? That was my fucking' brother, lass! And a few days before that, I lost another one. And for all I know, my brother, my sister, my own mother, they're dead! And what you think you're special? Let me tell you something lass, you're just another person that lost people they loved. The only difference? You still have people alive!"

Beth shrank down under his gaze and looked to the floor.

"You think I would kill myself if I had family left? No, I wouldn't. I would enjoy every last fuckin' second I had with 'em."

Beth felt tears welling up in her eyes. But she knew why they were there.

It wasn't out of the self-pity that had consumed her earlier. But out of hatred. Hatred towards herself. For the selfish girl she had been.

Maggie was right. She was just being a selfish brat. How could she even think about leaving her family that had already lost so should be grateful that she still had them. Enjoy what time she had left before she or anyone else died.

"So, what do you think about offing yourself now?" Sam's voice didn't lose any of it's edge.

Beth shook her head as tears slipped from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She leaned forward and brought Sam into a fierce hug that he returned, if not a bit awkwardly.

"I… I was an idiot! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, hey lass come on," Sam whispered. "You're alright, come on now."

Beth continued to cry. Not just for wanting to kill herself, but to finally mourn. She let out all the unshed tears that had been welling up ever since her mother had died. And when she was done, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sam walked down the stairs as quietly as he could. It would be best if he didn't wake her. She would sleep off whatever doubt that remained in her mind, then hopefully get back to her usual self.

Sam had only one conversation with her before that, but he could tell that she wasn't the kind to kill herself. She just thought that she wanted to.

Sam could understand that. After he had been separated from everyone he had tried slitting his wrists, hence the scars, but he didn't cup deep enough and all he did was waste bandages and water. He wasn't the type to kill himself either, but like her, he had thought that he was.

Sam didn't want to yell, but it was either that or let her cut herself in order to find out that she wasn't. He personally liked his way better.

"Sam!" Maggie said when she saw him coming down the stairs. "Is she-"

"Sleeping, I gave her a bit of a talk, she cried, she'll wake up in a few. Should be fine."

"Do you think that she'll still want to.. You know?"

Sm shook his head. "No. She knows how lucky she is now. I wouldn't worry too much."

Maggie brought him into a tight hug that sam returned awkwardly, just like he had done so when Beth hugged him.

"Uh, thanks," Sam said uneasily.

"What you don't like hugs?"

"My dad was an abusive drunk. Never really got any hugs."

* * *

It was a bit before Hershel came back. And when he did, Sam was nodding off in the living room.

"Sam?" Hershel asked.

"What?! Huh? Oh uh, Hershel, uh I was waiting for you," Sam stood up and straightened his shirt.

"Well here I am."

"Right, so… I take it that Rick talked to you. About what I did before I, came here."

Hershel nodded and Sat down. "He did. He told me that you were dangerous. That you had killed people and taken their things."

"Well he wasn't lying. I did do those things." Sam held eye contact. "I won't try to justify it if you don't want to hear it."

Hershel looked pensive for a moment. "I'll hear your what you have to say."

"It was after we had been to Benning. We were low on food, water, and just about everything else you could imagine. There were four of us. We were sitting around a fire we had made, starving and shivering in the dark. Then we heard these two people shouting. Michael was the one who thought of it. We charged in, held them at gunpoint, one of them tried fighting so, I shot him. In the chest. He bled out right there."

"Do you regret it?" Sam looked up at the old man, who wore a look of indifference. "Do you regret killing that man, or any of the others?"

Sam looked down at his feet and wrung his hands together. "I- no, I don't know. If I hadn't of done it then I would be dead. But I shot a man, I killed people. Killed them, then I took their things."

"And what would have happened if you didn't? You would have died. Sam, I know you've done terrible things, but I can see you're trying to atone for them. That you aren't whoever it was that shot that man and took his things. You are not an evil person. Maggie told me what you did for Beth. Would an evil man do that?"

"N-No," Sam stuttered out. "No they wouldn't."

"Exactly. You are a better man than you were at the beginning of this mess Sam, just like I am. Forget about the past, and focus on how you can make your future better."

Sam smiled and looked up at Hershel. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."

The old farmer nodded. "Now come on, I was just about to get some lunch."

* * *

When Rick and Shane came back with Randall and locked him back up in the shed Sam had been in when he had first arrived, he knew what was coming. Sam felt like everyone knew as well. Execution.

"Boy there's got a gang, 30 men" Daryl said after he had come back from " _talking_ " with Randall. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna wish they were"

"What did you do?" Carol practically accused him.

"Had a little chat" Daryl lied.

"No one goes near this guy" Rick ordered everyone.

"Rick, what are you gonna do?" Lori asked him.

"We have no choice. He's a threat" he looked around at everyone and carried on "We have to eliminate the threat"

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale seemed astounded.

"It's settled, I'll do it today" Rick walked away, with Dale on his heels.

It still surprised him how everyone was so willing to accept that Rick was going to kill a person. Well almost everyone.

"Sam I need your help," Dale said as he walked over to the young Irishmen. "They're gonna kill him."

Sam nodded. "I know. Rick was pretty clear on that just now."

"And? We need to talk him out of it!"

"What can we do, Dale? I mean honestly, what can we do? Everyone's pretty much decided."

"Do you agree?"

Sam scoffed. "Of course not. Way I see it, that could have easily of been me in there. Hell it was me in there at one point. But the way it's going to be, is a vote. And everyone wants that kid dead, well everyone except us."

Dale began to pace. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his head. "We- we need to talk to people, convince them that what we're going to do, that it's wrong!"

"You don't get it Dale, these people are scared, and I know from experience that when a person's scared, they'll do what they think are right, even though it isn't."

Dale took a step back. "Are you saying that… you've-"

"Oh come off it Dale! I know you and everyone else know about what I did. Rick didn't exactly keep it a secret from all of you. Hershel told me that Rick told him, so why would he stop there?" Sam ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Look, if you want me to help I will. I'll talk to Hershel and his people, try and get them to see our side of things."

Dale nodded. "Thank you, Sam."

"Don't thank me yet, that kids still on death row."

* * *

"Hershel!" Sam yelled as he ran to the old framer. "Hershel you got a minute?"

Hershel had a straw hat on his head and, from the look of things, was getting ready to head out.

"A fence got torn down and a few cattle got out. I have five minutes but that is all." Hershel said, his voice showing not an ounce of room for argument.

"Listen I promised Dale that I would talk to you about Randall."

Hershel raised his hand telling Sam to stop. "I don't want anything to do with that son."

"But Hershel-"

"Please, I don't. It's up to all of you to either let that boy live, or to let him die."

Sam could tell he wouldn't get anywhere with the farmer so he just nodded and walked away. It seemed like everyone had already made up their minds.

* * *

"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Glenn asked everyone.

"Does it have to be unanimous? How about majority rules?" Andrea chipped in.

"Let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through the options" Rick ordered.

"The way I see it, there's only one way to move forward," Shane spoke, not showing any remorse for his words.

"Killing him, right? I mean, why even bother to vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowin'" Dale bellowed at the others.

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know" Rick told the group.

"Well I can tell you it's a small group. Maybe just me and Glenn"

Glenn looked at Dale then, his face showing guilt like Sam had never seen, and he and his friends had killed people.

"Look, I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time but this-"

"They're got you scared!" Dale cut him off.

"He's not one of us. And we've lost too many people already."

Dale was silent. "How about you, do you agree with this?" He asked Maggie.

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" She asked Rick.

"Just another mouth to feed." Daryl said quietly behind Rick.

"It may be a lean winter." Hershel spoke.

"We could ration better." Lori suggested.

"Well, he could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself" Dale practically begged.

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Put him to work?"

Shane shook his head. "We're not letting him walk around"

"We could put an escort on him." Dale pointed out.

"And who wants to volunteer for that duty?"

"I will." Sam spoke up.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy." Rick was beginning to get agitated.

"He's right, I wouldn't feel safe unless he's tied up." Lori backed Rick up.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles"

Sam blocked them out and leaned his head against the wall he was standing in front of. But once they began talking about how they would, kill, Randall, he checked back in.

"I thought about that, shooting might be more humane," Rick said to the other.

"Which part would be humane Rick?" Sam asked him. "The bullet, or the fact that you're gonna shoot a kid that you saved?"

"Didn't you want to kill him?" Rick pointed out.

"I did, but that was when his fuckin' foot was impaled on a fence. Now he can walk, we just send him out-"

"He could find his people," Shane told him.

"No he won't. They came from Philadelphia, they obviously don't stay in once place too long. Why would they stay here? It's just a waste of resources."

"And, what? You know this how?" Shane asked.

"Because that was how my friends and I operated-"

"When you killed people? No wait you didn't just kill people, you stole from them. You robbed and killed."

"Yeah Shane I did! I killed, I stole. I did bad things. But the way I see it, you're all going to do a bad thing yourselves here."

Shane stormed over and got in Sam's face. "This is different! We are protecting ourselves from his group! From people like _you_!"

"No. Not people like me Shane. People like _you_. People that enjoy this world, because they can do what they want. My friends and I did what we did to survive. Randalls group, and you, they do what they do because they enjoy it." Sam looked away from Shane to the others. "Now what does that mean for Randall? It means that he was just trying to survive. That boy doesn't have a cunning bone in his body. He was just trying to survive, like us."

And with that Sam walked out of the house. He was done for the day.

* * *

Night had arrived and Sam was sitting with Sophia trying to teach her the finer points of Poker, with Carol's permission of course.

"So what if I have two kings?" Sophia bluffed terribly.

Sam just gave her a warm smile and put his cards down. "I fold."

"Yay! What do I win?" _Shit_. Sam had nothing of value to give her. Well he had a couple hundred dollar bills but those were just in case he needed to use the bathroom and he didn't have any… you get the picture.

"You win bragging right for eternity. You've beaten me nearly every hand that we've had, so therefore you are all time champion!" Sam stood and gave her a bow.

Sophia giggled, but looked over Sam's shoulder and her face dropped.

Sam turned and saw Daryl, Rick, and Shane leading Randall to the barn.

"Go find your mother Sophia."

"But-"

"Please, just, go find her. If you can't, just put your hands over your ears and try and block out the noise." Sam began walking to the barn, careful to not make any noise.

He stuck to the shadows and looked through the open barn door where Rick had made Randall kneel. Where Randall was begging for his life.

' _Please, you don't have to do this! Please!'_ Sam heard a woman beg in his mind. He got up and began walking back to the camp. ' _Please just take it! Just don't kill me!'_

' _I'm sorry.'_ Sam remembered saying. ' _We'll make it quick.'_

A gunshot and the smell of smoke and gunpowder.

Sam didn't remember which time it had been. There were to many scenes just like that over the months since everything had started.

The same words, just different people.

"Sam?" he jumped at the familiar voice. "Sam are you alright?"

"Beth," He flashed her a small smile. "Hey, what are you doing out here?"

"Are you alright? It looks like you've been crying." She was right for the most part. Sam's eyes were red and a few tears had fallen free causing parts of his cheeks to become wet with tear stains.

"I have been," Sam thought that there was no use in lying.

"W-why?"

"They're gonna kill him, but that's not why I was crying. All of this, it's bring back memories."

"W-when you killed people?" Beth asked cautiously.

Sam let out a humorless chuckle. "Yeah, when my friends and I killed people. We were desperate, and hungry, and stupid. So we did the only thing we thought we could." Sam looked at her and saw that she was staring intently down at her shoes. "You don't have to be scared. I don't do that anymore. We, my friends and I, decided to stop. But that doesn't exactly forgive the things we did."

"I'm not scared of you," Beth said suddenly. "I just… I don't understand."

"Good," Sam turned and began to make his way back. "It means that there's some hope in this world left."

"Wait!" She called after him. "I was wondering if, well maybe you wanted to go for a walk tomorrow?"

Sam paused and turned. "Don't you have a bo-"

"No!" She shook her head rapidly. "We only dated for about three months before everything happened, and even then I was having second thoughts. So, tomorrow?"

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Tomorrow." Maybe the apocalypse wasn't all that bad.

Who would have thought that Sam would manage to get a date when a man was about to be put to death. Speaking of which, Sam had yet to hear a shot.

He looked to the barn and saw that it was empty. And that there was no blood on the dirt floor.

He walked as fast as he could back to the camp and saw Rick, Daryl, and Shane sitting around the fire. Rick looked conflicted, Daryl indifferent, and Shane, well he looked pissed.

"We're keepin' him alive... For now." Rick said when he spotted Sam making his way over.

Sam smiled and was about to answer when a scream echoed through the farm.

Everyone was on their feet in a second with their weapons at the ready.

Everyone ran toward the grazing fields and split up to cover more ground.

Sam had his knife raised and at the ready, reverse grip just like Michael had taught him.

Daryl was the one that found him. On the ground, Walker the cause of his opened stomach.

Dale groaned in pain as he looked at the familiar faces. Sam knew he wouldn't make it. The same thing had happened to his friend Ethan about a week into it. No bites, but the Walker had torn him open with it's hands. He didn't last ten minutes.

"Alright, just listen to my voice," Rick examined Dale as he spoke with his hand on his face. He then stood up, telling someone to get Hershel.

"Hand on, Dale," Andrea told him, her voice sounding broken, and desperate.

"What happened?!" Hershel finally made his way over, kneeling over Dale's broken body.

"Can we move him?" Rick asked.

"He won't make the trip."

"We gotta do the operation here, Glenn get back to the house!"

"Rick!" Sam spoke up. "He won't make the trip."

Everyone began crying, Rick knelt to look at Dale. Dale for his part simply kept groaning in pain, until he looked at Rick pistol, asking a question that he didn't need to use his voice for.

Rick stood up and pulled out his handgun.

As he pointed it at Dale's head, he struggled to pull the trigger. His finger kept slipping and sliding off of the piece of metal.

Sam stood up and slowly took the gun from his grip. "Go, I've got this." He aimed the gun at Dale's head. Dale leaned forward and made a motion that looked like nodding, as if he was giving permission. "I'm sorry. But it's quicker this way."

Same words different people.

* * *

AN: So here we are my friends! Another chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it and please forgive all of the spelling and grammar errors that I may have missed. Please review because I absolutely love them and I will see you all next time! ~Pacco1


	7. Moving On

**Ch. 7**

"Dale could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that  
/look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth. Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He  
/said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feelin' sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives. Our safety, our future. We're not broken, we're gonna prove him wrong.  
/From now on, we're gonna do it his way. This is how we honor Dale"

The group began to separate when Rick was done speaking for Dale. Sam looked over and saw that Sophia hadn't stopped crying. She had been since the previous night.

Sam's right hand twitched and he felt the nervous tick in his arm to grip the pistol that wasn't strapped to his hip. He looked up and saw Beth standing next to Maggie and her father. Jimmy was standing an awkward distance from them, but kept sneaking  
/glances over.

Sam scoffed. The situation was a bit to "High School" for Sam. He had despised these situations when the world wasn't overrun with the Dead, but it seemed like even in the Apocalypse one couldn't escape them.

Beth looked up and Saw Sam staring. He quickly averted his eyes and looked back toward Dale's grave.

He heard her soft footsteps getting closer and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Hey" She said quietly

"Oh, hi Beth. You doing alright?" He asked, tilting his head up to look at her.

"I should be asking you that shouldn't I?"

Sam shrugged, and the two of them began walking away from the grave. "I suppose. I didn't know him much but I could tell he was a good man. A rarity nowadays.

She gave him a sympathetic smile and placed her hand on his arm. "I know it's probably gonna be a no but," she paused and looked down at her feet, "are we still goin' on that walk?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Sam promised her.

"After lunch?" He nodded. "Ok then! I'll see you then!"

Sam smiled as he watched her practically bounce away. He decided that he wouldn't mind very much, getting to know Beth Green.

"What are you doing?" Sam jumped at the voice. He turned and saw Maggie looking at him with a piercing stare.

"My God woman why are you sneaking up on me like that?"

"What are you doing with Beth?" She repeated.

"She asked in I wanted to go on a walk and I agreed."

"She's seeing Jimmy-"

"From what she told me not anymore." Sam told her.

"If you hurt her-"

"I won't," Sam insisted.

" _If_ you do, I'll make you wish you'd never been born." Maggie threatened him, maintaining eye contact and her voice low.

"Can I go now?"

* * *

"It'll be tight, 14 people in one house," Sam heard Rick say as he finished packing what little he had with him.

"Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up-" Hershel was cut off by Maggie.

"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing the damn dinner bell"

"She's right, we should've move you in a while ago"

"Right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors, facing out toward the road," Rick raised his voice as he ordered the group. "We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sight lines both sides of the property."

"Rick," Sam spoke up as he jogged to the former sheriff. "Can I talk with you?"

He nodded and they both walked to a secluded area of the camp. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I want my gun back," Rick turned to leave. "I've shown you I can be trusted! I helped Beth when no one else was around! If I were the marauder that some people seem to think I am, I would have killed her, Maggie, Lori and run off. But I didn't. When  
/all of you were willing to kill Randall, Dale trusted _me_ to help him convince people. Rick, you can trust me."

Rick placed his hand on his gun belt and his eyes went to the machete on Sam's.

"If, and I do mean if, I were to let you carry, how do I know that you won't just turn on us?" Rick asked.

"Trust is a two way street Rick. And I trust you to make the important decisions, to help keep us safe. And in return all I ask is to let me have my guns back."

Rick tapped his pistol and looked over to the grave they had buried Dale in.

"Fine," he said softly. "Fine, you can have your gun back, but if you try anything, _anything-"_

"You'll kill me," Sam finished for him. "I get it. If my friends and I were still together and we found you, it might have been the same way. And I thank you for trusting me Rick. I won't let you down."

* * *

"You ready?" Beth asked me as Sam finished walking up the stairs to the porch.

"Were you watching for me?"

Beth blushed. "Uh, yeah I was."

Sam looked past Beth and saw Jimmy staring at the two of them, his face downcast and eyes red. Sam felt a bit guilty then as to what was happening, but then he realized that it was ultimately Beth's decision. She was, especially in the current world,  
/old enough to make her own decisions.

"So you know this place better than I do, lead the way." Sam told her.

They made their way through a group of hazel bushes. The sunlight, filtered through innumerable leaves, lit their way through the trees.

Beth made most of the conversation. Or at least, she started most of them. Sam felt unsure as to how he should be acting, or what he should be saying. It was all very new to him.

Out of the both of them, Beth had the most experience with these kinds of things. But then again her experience was limited only to Jimmy and a boy that was probably dead by now.

"Go on. Go on." Both Beth and Sam stopped and looked around when they heard someone talking followed by leaves rustling and what sounded, at least to Sam, like a body hitting the floor.

"What's that?" Beth asked, her voice dropping in volume just in case.

"Stay down." Sam told her, his hand slipping to grip his gun.

They went as silently as they could. Following the noise of whoever was out there. The two of them could hear them talking, about what they didn't know, they were still too far away to accurately make out what was being said.

"Who do you think it is?" Beth whispered.

"If we're lucky, Maggie and Glenn looking for some alone time, if we're not, Randall's group."

Staying near the ground the two of them found a small clearing with two people. One of them was leading the other who was bound and gagged. They both had their backs to them but then the bound one fell to the ground and had to be picked up. That was when  
/they saw who it was. Shane and Randall.

"What are they doing out here?" Beth whispered.

"Nothing good." Sam hated how cliché he sounded.

Shane shushed Randall who seemed to be panicking, and with good reason, Sam thought. Randall thought that Shane was probably going to kill him. And he wasn't the only one.

"I get it. I'm the last face you probably want to see, huh?" Shan said. "Listen I'm just gonna take you on up out of here ok? I'm gonna take this off so you can breathe, but I want you to keep quiet. You listen good you hear me?"

Randall nodded rapidly and Shane slowly took the piece of tape that had been strapped over his mouth off.

"Now, your group, you know where they're at?" Sam's eyes almost bulged out of his skull and he heard Beth gasped in surprise beside him.

"No I don't. I really- Oh!" Shane slapped Randall.

"Ok," He grabbed Randall and brought him in close. "Get your little ass up here. Now I am your only shot of you getting out of these woods alive. You hear me? Now you start talking boy. Where they at?"

Randall was breathing heavily and from where Sam was sitting he looked like he was going to piss himself if he hadn't already.

"We had a camp, set up off the highway, about five miles from here. Who knows if they're still there?" Sam doubted they would be. If an area was more trouble than it seemed like at first they would probably ditch it.

Shane nodded and began talking in what he thought was a soothing voice. "Ok. So you gonna take me to 'em?"

Sam drew his Pistol and began to get up but stopped when he felt Beth cling to his arm.

"Not yet." She said. "For all we know Rick put him up to this."

"Why?" Sam looked back over and got back down.

"Because man I- I'm just- I'm done with this group, man. They doomed and I want no part of it."

Sam had to admit it would make sense for Rick to do this. Find out where they were hiding and how long they stayed.

"So you're not gonna kill me?" Randall asked cautiously.

"Come on man. If I was, you'd be dead. Come on." They both got on their feet and began walking again.

"Should we follow them?" Beth asked.

"Quietly. I got a bad feeling," Sam mentally kicked himself for being cliché again.

Randall began rambling and Shane scanned the forest, but Beth and Sam were hidden in the thicker parts of the trees and fallen leaves so he couldn't see them.

"I ain't saying it's all about me. I'm jus' trynna-' there was the sound of a struggle and Randall screamed. Followed by the sound of snapping and a thud.

Beth opened her mouth to scream at what had just been done but Sam clamped his hand down over her mouth and they both fell to the ground.

"Shhh, don't let him hear. If he killed him then he isn't on Rick's orders," Sam whispered to her.

They heard Shane walking around then several thuds on what was probably a tree.

"What's he doing?" Beth whispered.

"Y'all gonna come out now?" they both froze at Shane's words. "Don' make me ask again! And leave your gun there."

"What do we do?"

"He has the drop on us. Not much we can do. Listen he might just think it's me. Stay hidden and when he leaves get back to the barn and tell them what happened." Sam tossed his gun aside and raised his hands above his head. "I'm coming out!"

Shane had his pistol drawn and his face was covered in blood.

"Is it just you?" He demanded.

"Aye it is," Sam replied evenly. "But you can't kill me."

Shane laughed. "And why not?"

"A broken neck is he fell. A broken neck and a gunshot wound, how do you explain that? It'll be hard, even for you."

"Nah not really, you see all I gotta say is that the two of you fought a little-"

"You already snapped his neck. What are you gonna tell them? You can't kill me."

Shane shook his head furiously and began marching toward Sam. "Nah I can't kill you, but the Walker sure can!"

Shane's first was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness.

* * *

"Cuffs are still hooked, must've slipped them," Rick said as he observed the blood covered handcuffs that had once kept Randall secured.

"Is that possible?" Carol asked.

"They had blood on them, blood is an easy lubricant," He told her.

"Rick!" Shane shouted suddenly as he emerged from the trees. "They're armed! They got my gun and another!"

"You okay?" Carl sounded worried.

"I'm fine, little bastards snuck up on me clocked me in the face!"

"Who?!" Rick demanded as he checked the chamber of his python.

"Randall and Sam! Little bastards snuck up and got me!"

"Alright, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us," Rick began issuing orders.

"Wait, Sam's helping Randall?" Maggie asked. "I think he took Beth!"

"What?!" Shane asked his eyes wide and face growing pale.

"I heard Sam and Beth talking about going for a walk and I haven't seen Beth in a while."

"Shane did you see her with them?" Rick questioned him.

"Uh, nah man. They just clocked me, took my gun. Before I blacked out they were talking about finding their group."

"You saying Sam's with 'em?"

"Hey, man why are we even talking about this?! We need to find them before they find their group or worse, they decide to hurt that girl," Shane whispered the last part but still said it loud enough to be heard by Hershel.

"Get everybody back in the house," Rick called behind him as they rushed into the woods. "Lock all the doors, and stay put!"

Beth didn't know how long she had been out on her own. It had to of been longer than an hour since it had gotten dark and the moon was the only light that she was getting through the trees.

She had tried walking in the direction that they had come from but there were a few walkers and she didn't have anything to kill them. Not that she would have tried. She still wasn't very good at killing Walkers.

She just needed to get back to the Farm and they would help. _Maggie, daddy, they'll help._

* * *

When Sam woke up, he had expected to find himself on a bed in Hershel's house. Instead he found himself still in the ground in the forest. That and he had a crossbow aimed right at him.

"Oh Daryl, I suppose Shane made it back."

"Get up!" Daryl ordered and he grabbed Sam's shirt and dragged him to his feet.

"Is anyone with you? Ah Glenn, good to see you."

"Where are they?" Glenn demanded, shoving his gun in Sam's face.

"Who?"

Daryl punched him. "Don't play games! Where are they?"

"Who?!"

"Beth and Randall! Where are they?!"

"Randall's dead. Beth, well if she hasn't made it back then she probably got lost."

"Don't bullshit us! We know you and Randall are from the same group!"

"Even if I was with them, why would I kill someone from my own group? Besides I didn't even know what was happening until Shane snapped Randall's neck."

Both Glenn and Daryl froze at that.

"Shane killed Randall?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah he did. Snapped his neck. Beth and I saw it. He saw us too. I came out and told Beth to go. If she isn't back then we need to look for her."

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, for all we know you're tryin' to draw us into an ambush. We'll take you back, let the group decide."

* * *

Glenn walked in front of Sam while Daryl walked behind him, crossbow raised and at the ready. The pit in Sam's stomach seemed to grow with each step. He shouldn't be marched back to the farm; he should have been out there looking for Beth. Just as he  
/was about to voice his thought a gunshot echoed through the trees.

"I think they got your boy Randall," Daryl said from behind Sam.

"Not my boy," a second gunshot sounded. "And I don't think that's what it was.

When they got within sight of the house Sam considered running. It wasn't as if they would just let him go eighteen miles out. He had been on the farm and knew how to get there. No they would kill him.

"Sam!" He looked to the house and saw someone running toward him. "Sam you're ok!"

Beth pushed past Glenn and enveloped Sam in a tight hug.

"It took me forever to get back to the house. I got lost a bunch of times, but I made it. Shane told them that you helped Randall get out and they though you kidnapped me." She talked so fast Sam had trouble catching all of it.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

"What? I'm fine. You're the one that got it over the head."

He shrugged. "I've had worse."

"What a minute, you're telling me that he was telling you truth?" Sam smirked and they made their way into the house.

"Is that so shocking Daryl? I may have done bad things, but I'm not a liar. And right now, Shane is out there with Rick. You know what those gunshots were. Sure maybe they did find Randall, but what's with the second shot?"

"You said Randall was dead," Glenn looked confused.

"Yeah Shane snapped his neck, he didn't put a bullet through his head."

"Why'd he do that?" Daryl questioned him.

Sam looked around at all the blank and concerned faces and pieced it together. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"We all turn. No matter how we die, we all turn. It happened to a girl that was with my original group. She slit her wrist, the next morning she was trying to kill us. I'm sorry, I thought you knew."

"Ah shit." Daryl said. "Shit! You mean we're all gonna turn into those dead freaks?!"

"It's impossible!" Lori spoke up. "It's just not possible."

"Just like the dead coming back to life? How do you think it spread so fast? Loads of people die in every city every day, it just made it spread faster."

Lori seemed to want to break the trail of thought. "Would you please get back out there, find Rick and Shane and find out what on Earth is going on?"

"You got it," Daryl already started to head out the door.

"Daryl," Sam called after him. "My gun!"

Daryl pulled out Sam's side arm from his back waistband and tossed it to him. "You coming?"

"And miss a chance to repay Shane, not bloody likely." Sam followed him out the door. Glenn and Andrea came out onto the porch as well, all of them ready to head out.

The distant sound of walkers made them stop in their tracks.

Everyone else joined themon the porch as we watched the walkers emerge from the tree line behind the barn.

"Patricia, kill the lights," Hershel whispered.

"I'll get the guns," Andrea went back into the house with Patricia.

"Maybe they're just passing, like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" The words came out of Glenn's mouth so fast Sam barely caught them.

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about. A herd that size would rip the house down," Daryl shared his thoughts.

"Carl's gone," Lori came storming out of the house breathless and in a panic. "He was upstairs, I can't find him anymore!"

"Maybe he's hiding?" Glenn suggested.

"He's supposed to be upstairs; I'm not leaving without my boy!"

"We're not, we're gonna look again, we're gonna find him," Carol sounded a little hysterical. "Come on Sophia."

"What the hell do we do?" Sam asked when Maggie and Andrea came back with the bag of guns and began handing them out.

"I got the number, there's no use." Daryl told them.

"You should go if you want," Hershel suggested.

Daryl scoffed. "You gonna take 'em all on?"

"We have guns, we have cars," He said as he loaded a shotgun.

"Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm," Andrea agreed.

"You serious?" He looked back and forth between Andrea, Sam, and Hershel.

Sam grabbed the assault rifle he had on him when he had first arrived at the farm. "Grab a gun or hit the road Daryl. We're fighting."

"This is my farm, I'll die here."

"Alright, it's as good a night as any," Daryl said as he hoped of the porch and readied his crossbow.

"How can I help?" Beth asked, running up to the small group.

"I don't want you out there." Hershel said immediately, Maggie nodded in agreement.

"We could use her," Sam spoke up. "She doesn't have to shoot. You know how to drive Beth?" She nodded. "We need to corral them with the cars. The more cars we use the better of a job we do."

Hershel looked down at his shotgun, then to Beth, and finally to Sam. "You keep her safe!" He ordered.

"Yes sir! Beth, grab a set of keys and meet me by the trucks!" Beth compiled and ran off to find a pair of keys while Sam checked the clip of his rifle.

"Sam!" Hershel spoke up again. "You keep her safe!"

"I will."

They began picking off some of the Walkers that seemed to get closer to the house than the others.

"Keep the car steady," Sam told Beth as they approached the herd.

"O-ok," she said. Sam looked at her hands. They were gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles were white as cream.

"Beth, we're gonna make it. We'll be fine, I promise."

She looked over and smiled. "I know. Good luck."

Sam popped out of the window and aimed his rifle toward the herd of incoming Walkers. He placed his eye near the scope and sent a bullet into the head of the first walker he saw.

Beth kept the car as steady as she could and Sam thanked her for her efforts seeing as he only missed four shots because of the way the car was shifting.

"Sam, Andrea's flashing her lights!" Sam fired into the Walker in his sights then looked and saw Andrea's car pulling up next to his and Beth's.

"We aren't making a dent!' Andrea stated, annoyance laced her tone.

"I know! Even with the damn barn on fire it's not drawing enough of 'em in."

"What do we do?" Beth asked.

"The others are leaving! We should too!" T-Dog said, pointing to a Patricia, Lori, Carol, and Sophia who were running from the house.

"Shit! He's right, we need to go!" Sam agreed. "Beth, can you get up to the house, we'll pick 'em up."

"On it!" She said as she floored the gas and made a beeline for the house, hitting a few Walkers in the process.

Just as they had arrived a walker got hold of Patricia, and sunk its teeth into her. Beth screamed and Sam fired a bullet into the walker that had bitten her. However it was in vain as more walkers began devouring Patricia.

Sam opened the door and climbed out of the car and sprinted toward Carol and Sophia. He killed the Walkers that were closing in on them and shouted for them to get to the car. The obeyed and Sam saw that too many walkers were surrounding them.

He dodged a few hands that reached out to grab him and got to the car where Beth was shouting for him to get in the car. Carol and Sophia were already in the back and clutching each other tightly.

"W-Where are we going?" Beth asked as she sped away from the house, Sam saw the tear stains on her cheeks.

Sam ejected the mag on his gun "You know how to get to the highway?" She nodded. "Get us there. Carol Sophia, how are you two doing? Good, ok just take deep breathes, we'll be there soon."

They passed dozens of straggling Walkers and Beth hit a few of them, blooding the windshield. Sam did a quick ammo count and found that he only had sixty bullets left. Two mags before his gun was just a paper weight.

As they were nearly there, the sound of not-too-distant engines filled the air. Around the corner, a car and a motorcycle came into view. Daryl waved at them and Sam laughed in relief when he saw that someone else had made it

A car was next and Sam saw Glenn and Maggie waving at him through the tinted glass.

"Beth," Sam said not even trying to hide his smile. "Maggie made it."

"Oh thank God," her voice was strained and Sam thought she was going to cry, but she linked the years away and continued onward.

When they finally reached their destination, Rick, Carl and Hershel were already there, grabbing the girl's attentions.

When the cars stopped and everyone liked out it was a rush of hugs and silent cries. Everyone was happy to see each other alive and well. Sam stood off to the side but then Sophia barreled into him and began crying and thanking him for saving her andher  
mother. Sam returned the hug but didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

"Where did you find everyone?" Rick asked Daryl.

"Well, those guys' tail lights were zigzagging all over the road, figured he had to be Asian drivin' like that."

Glenn scoffed, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "Good one"

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked Rick, back down to serious business.

"We're the only ones who made it so far." The sadness in Rick's voice was clear.

"Shane?" Lori asked. Rick shook his head. That was a blow to the group; the cheerful mood was replaced with sadness as they began to count their losses.

"Andrea?" Glenn asked next.

"She saved Sophia and me, then I lost her." Carol told them.

T-Dog confirmed everyone's suspicions. "We saw her go down"

"Patricia?" Hershel asked as he held on to Beth and Maggie.

"They got her too" Beth began to cry again. "Sam and I were going to get everyone and they took her right in front of me. We were going to her, Daddy she just-" She was too upset to finish. "What about Jimmy? Did he get out?"

"He was in the R.V. It got overrun." Rick told her. She placed her head on Sam's shoulder and then began to cry again.

"We gotta keep movin'. There have been walkers crawlin' all over here,"

Rick told them.

"I say head east." T-Dog suggested.

"Stay off the main roads. The bigger the road, the more walkers," Daryl said as he picked up his crossbow and pointed it at a lone walker not too far away. "More assholes like this one. I got him." He released an arrow into its head and blood splattered  
/the car behind it. It hit the floor with a thud.

Rick told everyone to get in their cars and talk once everything was safe and they had shelter. Carol and Sophia got into Sam and Beth's truck along with Hershel, Glenn and , Lori, Carl and T-Dog were in one car.

Sam drove this time. Beth and Sophia sat in the back sleeping off the horrific events that had just occurred. Sam was still processing what had happened but knew that he couldn't let his emotions overtake him just yet. There was too much risk at the moment.  
/Too much that could go wrong. He knew from experience that if you let your emotions get the better of you at the wrong times, people died.

Rick beeped his horn after what felt like forever, signaling the column to pull over. They all exited their vehicles to see what was happening.

"You out?" Daryl asked him.

"Running on fumes."

"We can't stay here" Maggie told him.

"We can't all fit in one car." Glenn pointed out.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the mornin'."

"Spend the night here?"

"I'm freezing" Carl said.

"We'll build a fire"

"I'll gather up some firewood." Sam offered. "How you doin' on ammo?" He asked Rick.

"Not enough."

"We can't just sit here with our asses hangin' out." Maggie was beginning to panic.

"Watch your mouth" Hershel warned her which made me smile. "Everyone stop panicking, listen to Rick."

"Alright, we'll set up a perimeter. In the mornin', we'll find gas and some supplies, we'll keep pushin' on."

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try to scrounge up some gas." Maggie's shotgun was at the ready.

Rick shook his head at the idea. "No, we stick together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now." Sam rolled his eyes at all the panic.

"I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse but at least we found each other. I wasn't sure, I really wasn't, but we did. We're together. We keep it that way. We'll find shelter somewhere; there's gotta be a place."

"Rick, look around. There's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something," Glenn told him.

"There's gotta be a place, not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other. I know it's out there. We just have to find it!"

"Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure. For how long? Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe." Maggie seemed weary.

"We won't make that mistake again." Sam nodded his head at Hershel's words.

"We'll make camp tonight, over there," he pointed to nearby ruins. "Get on the road at the break of day."

"What if walkers come through or another group like Randall's?" Sophia spoke up timidly.

"You know, I found Randall, right? He turned, but he wasn't bit," Daryl informed everybody, brushing off Sophia's comment.

"How's that possible?" Carol asked.

"Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori demanded.

"Shane killed Randall," Sam spoke up.

"It's true, I saw him do it too." Beth supported him.

"Yeah but-

"We're all infected," Rick spoke up.

"I told them," Sam said. "I didn't think you knew though."

"How did _you_ know Rick?" Glenn demanded.

"At the CDC, Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it."

"And you never said anything?" Carol was frustrated with Rick.

"Would it have made a difference?"

"You knew this whole time?" It was Glenn turn to be angry.

"How could I have known for sure? You sure how crazy that ma-"

"That is not your call" Glenn cut him off. "Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone."

"Well I thought it best that people didn't know."

The group argued for a bit longer before Rick walked away and Lori went after him.

"I'm gonna go and get some firewood before it gets dark," Sam offered.

"No! Don't go!" Sophia wrapped her arms around him. "Please?!"

Carol looked at them and walked to collect Sophia.

Sam knelt down and looked into Sophia's eyes. "Hey now little one, I won't be gone long. But I have a job for you to do while I'm gone. I need you to take care of your ma' while I'm gone it's an important job, but I'm trusting you."

Sophia blinked tears out of her eyes and nodded. "Ok good. Don't worry I'll be back soon."

"I'm coming,'" Beth told Sam as he was about to leave.

"You have a knife?" She shook her head. "Here take mine. If we do find one, forearm under the chin, press up then jam the knife and twist. Got it?" She nodded and took the knife. "Good. Let's go."

* * *

Everyone huddled around the fire together, trying and failing to keep warm. Sam sat next to Beth, their hands almost touching but not quite there.

"We're not safe with him. Keeping something' like that from us. Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull you down." Carol whispered to Daryl through the silence of the night.

Everyone began whispering to themselves about how they would be better on their own. Sam knew for sure he wouldn't be. He had been on his own and that scared him more than anything. Alone was horrible in the Apocalypse.

"I think we should take our chances."Maggie told Glenn.

"Don't be foolish. There's no fuel, no ammo." Hershel scorned her.

A nearby noise spooked the group out of their smaller worries. "What was that?" Beth asked.

"Could be anythin'." Daryl said as he stood up. Sam followed. "Could be a raccoon, could be a possum."

"Walker." Glenn's worry voice was back.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sam told him. "Walkers make more noise. There would have been rasping or we would have heard footsteps."

"Then it's a person," Maggie panicked once more.

"We need to leave. I mean, what are we waiting for?" Carol was panicking again.

"It came from over there." Maggie told the group.

"Don't panic." Hershel told Maggie.

"I'm not." Maggie told him. "I'm not sittin' here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move. Now." Maggie's voice was laced with panic.

"No one is goin' anywhere!"

"Do something!" Carol pleaded.

"I am doin' something!'" Rick was furious. "I'm keepin' this group together, alive. I've been doin' that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this!" His voice was an angry whisper. "I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake! You  
/saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall Sam thing; lead me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice! He was my friend, but he came after me!" Carl had begun sobbingin  
his mother's arms. "My hands are clean! Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe I'm fooling' myself again. Why don't you go and find out for yourself? Sendme  
a postcard! Go on, there's the door. You can do better; let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight, you're stayin'. This isn't a democracy anymore." He didn't say anything else after that, he only stared at them and  
/then walked off into the darkness to process everything that was just said.

Sam knew why had been said though. He had heard them before from Michael.

Things were about to change.

* * *

Hey guys here's the end of season two! I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time! Don't forget to review! ~Pacco1


	8. Prison House

**Ch. 8**

AN: So Iam now officially done with High School and it is amazing! Sorry for the long wait I was just finishing up projects and finals and what not so that was why I didn't post for a bit. But now I am back and I began typing this up as soon as

/possible. Sorry of the quality isn't very good I typed it in a rush to get it out there. So without further ado, here you are!

* * *

The trees passed by in a blur as the car sped down the road.

Sam pulled his coat as tightly as he could. Even though winter was technically over, the cold lingered.

"Two minutes before we get there," Rick told the other as he screwed a silencer onto his pistol, his son Carl doing the same. "Everyone know the plan?"

"You, Carl, T-Dog, and Daryl go in and clear out the Walkers, everyone else waits then you let us in. We rest for as long as able then we leave," Sam said, opening his eyes finally. "Same as the other couple of places. We know the plan Rick."

Rick nodded and faced forward. "Just making sure."

The car fell back into silence. Sam looked to his left and saw Beth looking out the window. Her gun was lying on the seat in between them.

"You okay?" She looked to him and gave a tired smile.

"I'm fine, just tired is all."

"With any luck we'll be able to stay here more than a few hours." Sam knew it was a pipe dream to hope for that, but any hope was good for him.

"Hopefully," she smiled.

When the cars finally stopped Rick and the others moved in to clear the house while Maggie and Sam led everyone else around to the back of the house to wait for T-Dog to open the doors.

No one spoke. It had become a sort of unspoken agreement among them. When it was an operation like this, no one spoke. For one it might alert the Walkers, and secondly, no one felt the need. After doing it so many times talking only served to complicatethe  
way things flowed.

T-Dog opened the door and everyone flooded into the house.

They entered what might have once been the living room they all sat down on the floor to rest.

Sam closed his eyes and let out a sigh. His muscles relaxed and he felt the stress of the winter practically flowing out of them. He felt something press against his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Beth resting her head on it.

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

The sound of T-Dog's "Pst" made them all snap out of it.

Sam looked to the window and saw that there were already walkers outside.

He grabbed his pack and gun before he helped Beth up. They all ran out of the back door to the vehicles they had parked right outside the house, so we got inside them and drove off.

They stopped two miles down the road, so that the "adults" could figure out where to go next.

"We got no place left to go." Sam heard T-Dog say as he kept an eye out for Walkers.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south." Maggie warned.

"What would you say? That was about 150 head?" Daryl asked.

"That was last week, could be twice that by now," Glenn told him.

"This river could have delayed them. If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there," Hershel pointed at the map.

"Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way." And that was how it went. Sam shook his head and went back to focusing on keeping watch.

He held his machete lightly in his hands and scanned the trees for any sign of the dead.

It had been a rough few months on the road. Moving from place to place, usually never staying put for more than a few hours, having to get most of your sleep in the uncomfortable seats of the car. Only having a few spare minutes every couple of weeks  
/to bathe. Not exactly the ideal life, but then again it was the apocalypse.

"At Newnan, we'll push west; we haven't been through there yet. We can't keep goin' house to house. We need to find a place to hole up for a few weeks," Sam heard Rick tell the others.

"Alright, we gotta fill up on water first, won't take long," T-Dog told rick as he went to collect the canteens.

Sam handed T his canteen and went back to keeping watch.

Daryl and Rick had disappeared. _Probably hunting._

"Sam, you okay?" The boy looked back and saw Beth standing there, holding her ax like a cane.

"Careful with the blade."

She smiled. "I've handled an ax before."

"I'm not saying you haven't, but last thing we need is for you to get some weird disease from a cut on a dirty ax."

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Some weird disease? You mean weirder than the one that makes people rise from the dead and eat the living."

"Touché."

Over the winter months Beth and Sam had started a relationship. They hadn't done anything besides kiss and lean on each other during the car rides that they would sleep on, but it was still nice to Sam.

Of course one of the consequences of living on the road was that there was absolutely no privacy so everyone knew about the relationship the moment it had started. Not that Sam minded them knowing. He honestly liked Beth and he didn't care if the othersknew.

Though it was a bit awkward when they were together in a car with Hershel, Maggie, andGlenn.

"Hey! Gather round!" Rick ordered the group.

Sam sheathed his machete and he and Beth walked over to the gathered group.

"We found somewhere we can hold up," Rick announced. As soon as he said that a surge of relief went through the entire group as the prospect of being able to lie down and sleep was the most appealing thing that they had heard in the past few weeks. "Nowwe'll  
need to take out a few Walkers but it's nothing that we haven't done before."

They went down to the prison as soon as T-Dog had collected enough water.

They went to a small stretch of fence that was sandwiched between two guard towers and took out the few walkers that were outside the gate. Rick cut part of the fence so they could slip through the first fence, but it was getting cut close as the Walkerson  
the outside of the prison were beginning to close in on them.

The walkers in the yard got agitated on their arrival, slamming themselves up against the fence between them. They quickly jogged down the path of the first fence which led them to the entrance to the yard.

"It's perfect," Rick said quietly to himself as he admired the prison. "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by the night."

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel questioned him.

"I'll do it. You guys cover me," Glenn volunteered.

"No, it's a suicide run," Maggie told him.

"I'm the fastest."

"I can do it." Sam offered.

"No. Sam I want you, Glenn, Maggie, and Beth draw as many as you can over there," he pointed to the side of the fence, "Pop 'em through the fence. Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol," his voice became softer, "you've become a pretty good shot, takeyour  
time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower; I'll run for the gate."

Sam wished him luck before following Glenn and Maggie to the fence where they would draw the Walkers.

Sam reached into his pack and pulled out a broken pipe that he had salvaged from one of the many houses they had ransacked. While his machete was good for most situations the end of the blade was too thick to go through the small spaces of the chain linkfence.

"Over here you little bastards! Over here!" Sam banged the pipe on the fence along with Glenn, Maggie, and Beth. Walkers began walking toward them slowly and as they reached the fence the four of them began using their weapons to kill the undead.

Rick got to the gate and clamped it shut, but unfortunately the Walkers began to ignore Sam, Beth, Glenn and Maggie and went for Rick instead. He was pinned up against the gate, but luckily the door right next to him led into another tower.

"Light it up!" Daryl yelled to the others.

Everyone pulled their pistols and began picking off the Walkers. As each Walker fell the atmosphere of the group seemed to lighten up. It was almost therapeutic in a way. Massacring the things that had massacred most of humanity and your loved ones seemedto  
put a smile on everyone's faces.

They all laughed when the shooting was over with and quickly made their way to the main gate.

"You okay?" Sam heard Carol ask Lori as he passed her.

"Haven't felt this good in weeks." She laughed.

When they entered the yard, a sense of accomplishment fell over the whole group and it felt great. Something good finally happened.

"We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" Carol excitedly ran around the new land.

Everyone laughed as they enjoyed the space and avoided the corpses of the Walkers.

The rest of the day was spent unloading all of the group's stuff and things before night fell.

When it did they got a fire going pretty and they all sat round it together. Or at least most of them. Daryl was off standing watch on top of an overturned bus keeping watch, and Rick was scouting the perimeter.

"Tomorrow, we'll pull all the bodies together. Want to keep them away from that water. Now, if we can dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water," T-Dog told everyone.

"The soil is good. We could plant some seed. Grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans," Hershel said as he shifted a small bit of soil over in his hands. "That's his third time around." Hershel pointed out, talking about Rick. "If there was any part ofit  
compromised, he'd have found it by now."

"This will be a good place to have a baby," Beth excitedly told Lori, changing the subject. "Safe."

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the fire. Beth intertwined her hand with Sam's and the two of them leaned on each other.

"Bethy," Hershel broke the silence and Beth sat up quickly, "sing Paddy Reilly for me. I haven't heard that, I think, since your mother was alive"

"Daddy, not that one please?" Maggie asked softly.

He thought for a moment. "How about Parting Glass?"

"No one wants to hear."

"Come on," Sam nudged her arm, "We could do with another moral boost. Your singing always brightens up the day."

"Okay." She said uneasily.

Then she began singing. Her voice was so angelic. Maggie joined in singing, and their voices merged in a beautiful harmony. But just as soon as the song had begun they seemed to have finished it.

"Beautiful." Hershel smiled.

"Agreed," Sam said, causing Beth to look down with a blush covering her face.

"We better all turn in, I'll take watch over there. We got a big day tomorrow," Rick commanded as he came back from his walk of the perimeter.

"What do you mean?" Carl asked, his voice had lowered over the past few months.

"Look, I know we're all exhausted, this was a great win. But we gotta push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies may be intact. They'd havean  
infirmary, a commissary-"

"An armory?" Daryl and Sam said at the same time.

"That'd be outside the prison itself, but not too far away. Warden's offices would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a goldmine." Rick told them.

"We're dangerously low on ammo. We'll run out before we make a dent." Hershel reminded him.

"That's why we have to go in there. Hand to hand. After all we've been through, we can handle it. I know it." Rick said, the determination that the group had come to see on his face more evident than ever.

"If we can survive a few months on the road with little sleep and barely any food, we can take out a bunch of walkers easily," Sam said confidently. Rick nodded and then got up to do his perimeter check again, with Lori following him.

Everyone lay down next to the fire, then, preparing for a good night's sleep.

Sam and Beth curled next to each other. Sam wrapped one of his arms around her and used the other as a pillow as he had learned to do during the months he had been alone.

Daryl's and Hershel's snores echoed through our little camp and Sam knew Beth was asleep since he felt her breathing evenly. Sam kissed her head lightly and laid his head down, falling asleep almost instantly.

When Sam opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Beth's blonde hair. Somehow, despite bathing once a week if they were lucky, she kept her hair clean.

She began to stir and slowly she opened her eyes. "Hey," she said, smiling brightly.

"Morning Beth. Sleep alright?" She nodded and the two of them sat up.

"I did. Sleeping on the grass is a lot better than in the cars."

"Very true," the two laughed and Beth kissed his nose.

"Everyone up!" Rick barked at everyone. "We need to do it before it gets too late!"

"On it boss!" Sam shouted as he and Beth sat up. "Looks like the Ricktator is eager to clear out the prison." The two laughed at the name they had begun calling Rick when he wasn't within earshot.

The two went to the fence and saw Rick and the others ready to go into the walker infested area.

"Rick!" Sam said as he ran up to the man. "Why don't the rest of us go to the other end and start popping them through the fence, wear down their numbers before we go in."

"That's a good idea, but what do you mean before we go in? You aren't going in there."

"Oh come on Rick, I can handle myself-"

"I'm not saying you can't, but if anything goes wrong, and we don't come back I need you here. I need you to get them out of here," Rick whispered.

Sam shook his head but then nodded. "I get it. And fine."

Rick tapped Sam's shoulder and went to the fence. "Start getting them through the fence! Clear it out as much as you can!"

* * *

The inside of the prison smelled as one might imagine a cell block would smell. Horrible. It was dank and the metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air as well as the smell of rotting corpses. Thin streams of light flowed in through the high barredwindows  
giving the block an ominous look.

Sam's hand hovered above his pistol just as it had always done in the past months on the road.

The bodies that once littered the prison were being put into a pile outside of the block, and everyone was beginning to lay claim to the cells that would become their new rooms.

"Home sweet home." Glenn said sarcastically.

"For the time being." Rick said.

"Is it secure?" Carol asked.

"This cell block is."

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel piped up.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary," Rick told him.

"We'll sleep in the cells?" Beth quietly asked.

"I found keys on some guards. Daryl has a set, too."

"I ain't sleepin' in no cage. I'll take the perch," Daryl walked toward one of the cells and grabbed one of the mattresses.

Sam felt something slip into his hand and looked down to see Beth holding it.

"Come on," she began leading him up the stairs toward the second level of cells and Sam was so tired that he just let her lead him. Half in a daze he lifted his feet one by one to climb the stairs and make it to an actual bed.

"This one ok?" Sam heard her ask.

"Yeah fine. If I'm being completely honest I just want to go to sleep," he heard her giggle. "Wait, are you staying with me?"

"Course I am."

"Hershel alright with it?"

"I talked to him before everyone went in. I figured we would get rooms and I told him I wanted to stay with you."

Sam sighed and laid down on the bed. He scooted over to the edge and made room for Beth. She snuggled into his chest and they were asleep in minutes, tired from the toll of the last months.

* * *

"Flashbangs, CS Triple-Chasers. Not sure how they're work on walkers but we'll take 'em," Sam admired the vast array of new gear as Rick listed off what they had found.

Sam strapping of the few clean riot gear chest pieces on and then secured the other pieces of armor. "So how is this going to work?"

"We go in and keep it tight. We don't know what we'll find in there," Rick told him.

Daryl held up one of the helmets and what Sam thought was very thick mucus fell out of the helmet. "I ain't wearin' this shit!"

"We could boil 'em." T-Dog suggested.

"Ain't enough firewood in the whole forest. No, besides, we made it this far without 'em, right?" Daryl was swinging around a baton.

"You never know Daryl," Sam told him before tapping the thick armor. "Better safe than sorry right?"

"Hershel," Carol signaled for him to join her in Lori's cell.

"Everything all right?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about," she gave a tight lipped smile and retreated back into the cell.

Sam slip his pistol into its holster and slid his machete into it's sheathe. The others were still strapping up and Sam, saw Carl sitting on the stairs looking envious of those that were heading out.

"Sam," he turned to Beth. "So he's letting you go?"

"I suppose so. Don't worry though I'll be back… probably." She smacked his arm but hurt her own hand on the riot gear.

"Don't joke like that!" She scolded him, ignoring the throbbing in her hand.

Sam laughed and brought her into a hug. "Sorry about that, but I had too. Don't worry, I'll be fine, you're da' will be too. I promise."

She smiled and kissed him. "I'll hold you to that."

"Sam we're leaving!' Rick shouted. Sam heard the block doors open and so he gave Beth's hand one final squeeze of affection and one last kiss before he left.

The group was waiting. Weapons and flashlights ready. All of them prepared to enter the tombs.

* * *

AN: Sorry for any typo's that I wasn't able to catch. But I do hope that you all enjoyed the chapter! Please review and I'll see you guys next time! ~Pacco1


	9. The Tombs

**Ch. 9**

The Tombs smelled as good as anyone had expected. Blood, shit, and a lot of decay was in the air.

Sam adjusted his grip on his machete and stared into the blackness of the long crisscrossing hallways of the tombs. The scuffling of footsteps behind him stopped and he looked back. The blue light from his flashlight revealed to him that Glennwas  
spraypainting arrows so they knew their way back.

"Anything?' Rick whispered to the young Irishman.

"No. Only a few bodies." Sam looked forward again and his eyes scanned the corpses in front of him.

All wore the blue jumpsuits of the inmates. Heads shaved and with neat holes going through the back. Their hands were bound behind them. And they were laying on their stomachs.

Daryl strode up next to him and Sam saw him looking at the bodies as well.

"Executed?" He asked.

"Most likely. They didn't put up a fight."

They began moving once again. More slowly than before. Sam clenched his left hand into a fist as they rounded every corner, prepared to bring his machete down onto the skull of a walker. But around every corner they had found nothing but empty hallways.

"Fuck," he swore as the group went forward.

"What?" Daryl asked, his crossbow still raised.

"I keep expecting them to be around the next- Shit!" Sam could almost hear the universe laughing at him when he rounded the next corner and came face to face with well over two dozen walkers. "Get back! There's too many!"

Sam sunk his machete into one of them and then followed everyone back the way they came from, following Glenn's arrows. Sam looked back and saw the mass of Walkers chasing them through the tombs. Reaching out with their decayed hands, desperately tryingto  
close the distance and get their next meal. Sam ran faster andrushed past Glenn and Maggie.

The next junction they needed to turn on was overrun by walkers as well.

"Where do we go?!" Sam demanded as he killed a Walker with his machete.

"Anywhere but here!" Rick answered, drawing his pistol and firing into the nearest Walker.

The group backtracked and went down a random hall and they did not stop running until the sounds of Walkers began dying down. Sam stopped and checked their rear. No Walkers, but there was also no Glenn or Maggie.

"Oh shite," Sam swore. "Glenn and Maggie aren't here."

"Where'd they go?" Rick looked to everyone.

"They must've gotten cut off," Hershel's face dropped and Sam quickly spoke once more. "Don't worry Hershel, they're smart, you know that. They're going to be fine."

"We have to go back," Hershel demanded.

"Which way?" Daryl asked.

"Only way we came." Sam shined his flashlight down the hallway they had just escaped.

Sam took point, his machete raised and his pistol in his left hand. Daryl followed behind him crossbow raised high over Sam's left shoulder while Rick, T-Dog and Hershel took the rear, covering them from any potential Walkers.

Sam heard Hershel whispering Maggie's name over and over and winced at the volume. While he may have thought he was being quiet, any little noise would rouse the Walkers from their complacency, causing them to storm the small group.

But as they continued into the tombs, Hershel's voice became more and more distant. Until Sam, couldn't hear it at all.

"Hershel?" he whispered, his pace slowing. "Rick is Hershel there?"

"Shit." Rick swore.

They all turned and ran down the hallway hoping to find Hershel, Maggie, and Glenn.

Just as they were about to turn a corner they heard the old farmer scream and the snarling of a Walker.

"No!" Sam roared as he moved quickly around the corner. Hershel's left leg was sitting in the arms of a Walker who had bitten into it. Sam screamed and hacked the head off of the Walker with one clean stroke.

Glenn and Maggie rounded the corner and Maggie screamed out in horror at the sight of her father.

Rick and Sam picked up Hershel by putting his arms around their necks just as more Walkers emerged from around the corner.

The others began shooting their weapons, trying to clear a path back to the cells. As they were about to turn anther corner more Walkers appeared. They turned around once more and went through a hallway they had not been through before with the Walkers  
/right behind them.

They stopped outside of a set of doors that had been sealed with a padlock and T-Dog quickly cut it off.

Rick and Sam set Hershel on the floor and Sam immediately began checking the wound. His hands moved to his belt and he unbuckled it as he had done only once, before he had met the group.

"Is that hatchet clean of Walker blood?" Sam asked Rick, his voice uneasily calm.

"Uh yeah, it is."

"We need to amputate it."

"Are you crazy?!" Glenn shouted at the young Irishmen.

"If we don't amputate the fuckin' leg he dies! Rick if you don't want-"

Rick slammed the hatchet onto Hershel's leg. Blood shot up into their faces and Sam winced at the sensation of warm blood splattering onto his face. Rick kept hacking away, trying to get the leg off, over and over with the hatchet.

Hershel eventually lost consciousness before he finished, and one last blow separated Hershel's leg from the rest of his body.

When it was over Sam swallowed hard and checked the bleeding sump.

"We need to get him back, right fuckin' now!" Sam told them. "Rick, Glenn find something to help us carry him!"

Sam applied pressure to the stump and then he thought he heard Daryl tell rick to duck. who did as he was told. And then he stood up and pointed his crossbow across the room. Everyone looked and there were 5 men in prison jumpsuits standing behind a cagedwindow.

"Holy shit," one of them said.

The 5 men moved out from the kitchen and stared at the group. Sam rose to his feet and drew his pistol.

Daryl got closer, keeping his crossbow raised. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you?" One of them mimicked.

"We don't have time for this, he's bleedin' out, we gotta go back." Sam shouted at the group. He lowered his pistol and beckoned Maggie over to him. "Come around here, put pressure on the knee. Hard, hard! Push!"

"What happened to him?" a Hispanic inmate with long, dark hair asked us.

"He got bit." Daryl told them.

"Bit?" Another asked.

"Do you have medical supplies?" Glenn asked them as he walked past them and into the room they came out of.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" The big guy asked him.

"Who the hell are you people, anyway?" The Hispanic guy didn't move his gun from my chest ask he asked.

"Don't look like no rescue team," a scrawny guy with the heavy southern accent told his people.

Glenn came back out with a table with wheels. Sam grabbed Hershel and lifted him onto it.

"Get the door!" Rick ordered the others.

"Are you crazy?! Don't open that!" The small guy warned them.

"We can handle this!"

T-Dog removed the pliers and a lone walker in riot gear came in. T-Dog knocked it over the head and then jammed his fire poker into its head.

Sam pushed the metal cart forward trusting the others to keep him safe from Walkers as he got Hershel back to the cells. Back to whatever meager medical supplies they had left.

The tide of Walkers must have gone away since they were basically granted free roam of the tombs. They ran through the maze of corridors as quickly and quietly as they could. At least, until Daryl told them to stop, and pointed at the shadows that werebehind  
them.

"Go!" Rick whispered.

They arrived back at the cell block and Rick shouted for Carl to open the door.

"Take him!" Sam told Rick as he moved from the cart and grabbed his rifle. Beth screamed at the sight of Hershel and Sam grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry. I've seen it before, he'll be fine," he reassured her. "I'm sorry but I need to go. Go with Maggie. She needs you right now."

Beth blinked a few tears from her eyes and nodded.

Sam checked the rifle and went back into the room outside the cell block.

"They here yet?" He asked Daryl who shook his head. "You got your pistol? Good, you may have need of it."

They heard shouting coming closer and closer. As if the inmates were arguing about they were going to handle the situation. Sam raised his rifle and Daryl did the same with his crossbow. T-Dog his behind a pillar and clutched his pistol, Sam wasn't surebut  
he thought he could hear the man praying.

They came out one at a time. The Hispanic leading the way, a pistol tucked in the front of his pants.

"That's far enough." Daryl told them.

"Cell block C. Cell 4, that's mine gringo," the lead told him. "Let me in."

"Congratulations boys," Sam told them, "the governor called, you're all free to go."

"Whatcha got going on in there?" the lead asked.

"Nothing that concerns you," Sam clicked the safety off.

The Hispanic grabbed his pistol and began walking forward. "Don't be tellin' me what's my concern."

Daryl and Sam bothtook a few steps forward.

"Chill man. Dude's leg is messed up," the large black inmate said. "Besides we're free now. Why are we still here?"

"The man's got a point," Daryl said.

"Yeah, and I gotta check on my old lady," the more muscular black man said.

"A group of civilians breaking _into_ a prison you got no business being in… got me thinking there ain't no place for us to go."

 _Well just had to get the prisoners with brains_ , Sam thought. "There's plenty out there. This was just the closest place. But I hear Nebraska is the place to go," Sam lied.

"Maybe we'll just be going now." The man with the heavy southern accent said slowly, hoping to defuse the situation.

"We ain't leaving!"

"You ain't coming in either!" T-Dog came out from behind his pillar and aimed his gun at the lead man.

The Hispanic raised his pistol and Sam lined up his shot, ready to pull the trigger at the slightest twitch.

"Hey this is my house, my rules! I go where I damn well please!"

Everyone began shouting. The lead prisoner telling the group how this was his place and they were trespassing while Sam and the others simply yelled at him to lower his weapon.

"Hey, everyone relax, there's no need for this," Rick strolled in and the yelling stopped.

The lead prisoner looked nervous now. "How many of you are in there?"

"Too many for you to handle," Sam smiled at Rick's warning.

He looked at us all then. "You guys rob a bank or somethin'? Why don't you take him to a hospital?"

They all looked at each other, disbelief dancing across their faces. How could these men be so blind as to the reality of the new world?

"How long you been locked in that cafeteria?" Rick asked him.

"Goin' on like, 10 months," the muscle in his arm was tensing up again.

"A riot broke out," the big guy spoke "never seen anything like it"

"Attica on speed, man," Sam understood that reference.

"Ever heard about dudes going cannibal, dying, coming back to life? Crazy," the little guy spoke with disbelief.

"One guard looked out for us, locked us up in the cafeteria. Told us to sit tight, threw me this piece, said he'd be right back."

"Yeah, and that was 292 days ago." the other big guy informed us.

"94 according to my calcula-."

"Shut up!" the Hispanic guy cut off the southern guy."We been thinking the army or the national guard should be showing up any day now."

"There is no army." Rick told them simply.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone."

"For real?"

"I'm serious."

They fell silent as they thought of what had happened to the outside world.

"What about my moms?" the big guy asked.

"And my kids? And my old lady?" the other big guy looked close to crying. "Yo, you got a cell phone or something that we can call our families?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Daryl growled at them.

"No phones, no computers. As far as we can see at least half of the population has been wiped out" Rick told them bluntly. The Hispanic guy started to lower his gun, worry took over his face as his eyes were on the ground. "Probably more"

"Ain't no way," he snapped out of his trance, but didn't raise his gun again.

"Why don't you take a look?" Sam told them, finally lowering his gun, but keeping his hand near his pistol.

When they took them outside, they shielded their eyes from the burning sun. "Damn the sun feels good," one of them said, stretching as they absorbed the suns rays.

"Good lord, they're all dead," the southerner looked around at the bodies of the Walkers.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these fences," the Hispanic guy said as they looked onwards.

"You never said - how the hell did you get in here in the first place?" The little guy asked.

"Cut a hole in that fence over there by that guard tower," Daryl pointed across the yard.

"That easy, huh?"

"Depends. When we did it, there was no one tryin' to shoot us," Sam joked.

"So, what is this, like, a disease?" the big guy asked Rick.

"Yeah, but we're all infected," he informed him.

"What do you mean infected? Like AIDS or somethin'?" the Southerner asked. "If I was to kill you, shoot an arrow in your chest, you'd come back as one of these things" Daryl pointed to a body by their feet. "It's gonna happen to all of us.

"Ain't no way Robinhood casts responsible for killin' all these freaks" the Hispanic said as he looked around at the bodies.

"Must be 50 bodies out here."

"Where'd you come from?" he wondered.

"Atlanta" Rick told him.

"Where you headed?"

"For now, nowhere"

"I guess you can take that area down there near the water. Should be comfortable." Sam's hand clicked the safety off of his gun.

"We're using that field for crops." Rick told him.

"We'll help you move your gear out."

"Not gonna happen," Sam spoke up.

"We took out these walkers, this prison is ours," Rick told him.

"Slow down, cowboy."

"You snatched the locks off our doors." the little guy got closer to Rick, standing next to the Hispanic guy.

Rick stepped up and tapped his gun. "We'll give you new locks, if that's how you want it."

"This is our prison, we were here first,"the Hispanic guy smiled.

"Locked in a broom closet?" Rick laughed. "We took it, set you free. It's ours. We spilled blood."

"We're movin' back into our cell block."

"You'll have to get your own."

"It is mine. I still got personal artifacts in there, that's about as mine as it gets." he took out his gun again and Sam raised his.

"Careful now. Wouldn't want to get blood all over that nice clean shirt now would we?" Sam threatened him.

"Woah, maybe let's try to make this work out so everybody wins." the Southerner tried to make peace as he got in between the Hispanic and Rick.

"I don't see that happening."

"Neither do I." Rick agreed.

"I ain't going back in that cafeteria for one more minute." The mans face tightened and his hand balled up into a fist.

"There are other cell blocks." the Southerner told him.

He kept looked at Rick and shook his head. "These four pussies can do all this, the least we can do is take out another cell block."

"With what?" The big guy asked.

"Atlanta here will spot us some real weapons. Won't you, boss?"

* * *

AN: Sorry for the wait everyone! Anyway updates should be more frequent now and I'm sorry for any mistakes I may have made. Please leave me a review if you can, and I will see you next time!~ Pacco1


	10. The Inmates

ICh. 10

Sam grinned to himself as he and T-Dog hauled half of the food stuffs back to the cells.

"Foods has arrived!" Sam said, eyes the cans and packages excitedly.

"What did you get?" Carl excitedly asked.

"Canned meat, canned vegetables, Canned Cans!" T-Dog said as he tossed can to Carl.

"Any crackers?!" Sophia was practically pulling Sam down to her level so she could see what was inside of the box he was carrying.

"I think there might have been one or two!" He handed her a small packet and she ran off.

They set them down and T-Dog began organizing them while Sam walked over to where Hershel had been put to recover. He felt his palms moisten and his throat suddenly went dry. He turned the corner and saw Beth, Lori, Carol, and Maggie sitting by Hershel's  
/bedside.

The man himself was so pale, his breathing sounded shallow and spaced too far apart.

He knocked on the cell bars and the four girls looked up at him. Beth flashed him a weak teary eyed smiled before she looked back at her father.

"Any change?" He asked softly, sensing the need to whisper even though it made no sense to him.

Lori and Carol shoot their heads and Sam closed his eyes. "Anything I can do?"

They shook their heads once more and Sam nodded.

Beth looked up at him again and smiled softly. He motioned for her to meet him outside the cell before he walked out.

He walked over to the metal stairs that led to the second level and sat down, waiting for Beth.

She exited the cell and walked over to him slowly. He could see her eyes were red, and her hand had a slight tremor to it. She took a seat next to him and he could hear her sniffling.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I promised you that your dad and I would come back safe."

She gave him a confused look and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Do you think I blame you?"

"Well… no. I just felt guilty, I broke my promise, and well, I just keep thinking that maybe if I had been looking out for him a bit more then he wouldn't have let his damn leg," she sighed and grabbed his hand before leaning on his shoulder.

"It was not your fault Samuel Conall. Daddy went in there knowing what could happen, you all did," she turned his head and looked him in the eye. "He's gonna be fine. You hear me? Maggie told me that it was you that told Rick what needed to be done. You  
/saved my daddy's life."

Sam hugged her and the two of them sat there on the stairs. Holding each other at the end of the world.

* * *

The sound of a whetstone against a machete was a pleasant noise to Sam. It reminded him of when he and his brother would go fishing. Sam would sit on the shore with his pole in the water while his brother would sharpen his knife so they could gut it.

Pleasant memories from a dead world.

Daryl and T-Dog brought the prisoners just outside our cell block to prepare for the next cell block clear out. The group had put several weapons that, while decent at taking out walkers, would be hard to use on them should the prisoners get any ideas.

"Sam, over here," Sam followed Rick over to a corner where he began telling him in hushed tones, "If they try anything- "

"I'll kill 'em," he told the former sheriff. "I don't care. You're not the only one trying to protect people Rick. Those people in there. They're like family to me. If they try anything, I'll put a bullet in each one of them myself."

Sam and Rick walked back and Sam could see Rick send a discreet nod to Daryl.

The prisoners looked over the weapons, but Tomas looked to Rick as he picked up a crowbar. "Why do I need this, when I've got this" he said cockily, pulling out his gun from his pants.

"You don't fire guns, not unless your back's up against a wall," Daryl grunted at Tomas. "Noise attracts 'em, really riles 'em up."

"We'll go in two by two. Daryl will run point with T-Dog. I'll bring up the rear with you," Rick pointed at Sam who immediately saw the soundness in the plan. The inmates get any ideas they have nowhere to go. "Stay tight, hold formation. No matter how  
/close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe to the head."

"And that's where you aim. These things only go down with a head shot." Daryl informed them.

Tomas laughed and spun his weapon in his hand. "Ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man."

"And here I was wondering what you were doing here?" Sam said sarcastically. "Don' Fuck it up. You get one chance inmate, one chance to swing right then you're dead."

* * *

"Man, it's too damn dark in here." Oscar complained as they moved through the tombs of cell block D.

"Gotta hold it up high, out in front of you." Daryl told the inmates, whose weapons were being held low to the ground. "You're gonna hear 'em before you see 'em."

They crept down the hallway slowly and quietly. There were a few snarls and groans from the front of the column.

"It's comin'!" the inmate known as Axel shouted as the rest of them raised their weapons.

They quickly shushed him just as two walkers emerged from around the corner.

Daryl raised three fingers and slowly began lowering them. As his first finger lowered the inmates rushed the walkers, screaming profanities and yelling their battle cries.

Sam was surprised that they even managed to get one onto the ground, but groaned in frustration as they began kicking it in the torso. Big Tiny had one in his arms as Axel was shanking it in the stomach.

"Oh, that is jus'... pitiful," Sam said as he observed the scene in front of him. He wasn't sure if he would be glad that they were this incompetent or horrified.

Eventually the group stepped in and dealt with the Walkers. Tomas and Andrew claimed that they had it handed while Rick just glared at them and ordered them to move.

They went around another corner where more Walkers were lurking. Daryl lifted up his crossbow, aiming at the nearest one and released an arrow into its head. "It's gotta be the brain. Not the stomach, no the heart - the brain"

A walker was nearly on them, but Oscar brought down his crowbar and smashed its head open. Axel got another one by stabbing it in the face.

"Stay in tight formation, no more prison riot crap!" Rick shouted at them.

The Walkers began coming out of nowhere, but with the added manpower the group was taking them down quickly and efficiently. When the Walkers were all dead, the group noticed that Big Tiny wasn't behind them. They spread out and began looking and found  
/him around a corner fighting two Walkers and Rick quickly took one down, but had to duck after Tomas shot three bullets into the other, nearly taking Rick down.

Sam Reached for his pistol but Daryl grabbed his hand and shook his head.

Big Tiny was touching his arm and when he pulled it back, blood dripped from his hand. Rick got him to move his jumpsuit to take a look. The scratch was about the size of a person's palm that enveloped the man's shoulder blade.

"I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just a scratch," Big Tiny defended himself.

"I'm sorry, man," Rick apologized, his hand resting on his holster.

"I can keep fighting!" Big Tiny began to panic.

"You cut that old guy's leg off to save his life," Andrew suggested desperately.

"Look at where the bite is!" Daryl told the shorter man.

"Guys, I'm fine! I'm fine!" He told Rick. "Look at me, I'm not changing into one of those things."

"Look, man, there has to be something we can do. We could just lock him up," Oscar said, they seemed to want to try anything, grabbing ay shred of hope there was that Big Tiny could live.

"Quarantine him!" Axel suggested.

"Why you just standing there? You gotta save him!" Andrew yelled.

"There's nothing we can do," Rick's voice was low and sharp.

"You son of a bitch!" Andrew spat.

"I'm alri-" Big Tiny was cut off by a whack to the head. When he hit the floor, Tomas stood over him and started swinging his blunted weapon into Big Tiny's head over and over. Blood splashed up covering Tomas in the crimson fluid and up the wall behind  
/him.

* * *

They entered the laundry room, which appeared to be abandoned and spared most of the prisons downfall, and Tomas was already waiting by the second door. The doors might have been thick, but it couldn't block out the noise of all the bangs and groans on  
/the other side.

Daryl threw the keys at Tomas's feet, and he stared at Daryl. "I ain't openin' that!"

"Yes, you are. Because you want this cell block," Rick explained to him, a grim smile on his face. "You're gonna open that door, just the one. Not both of them, because we need to control this."

Tomas sighed and picked up the keys. Sam saw the look he shared with Andrew and felt his stomach drop. He knew that this plan would come to blows eventually but now? Right at that moment? Wrong fucking timing.

Tomas struggled for a moment and then turned to the group., "You bitches ready?" then both doors swung open and the walkers poured in.

"I said one door!" Rick yelled at him.

"Shit happens!" He yelled back before taking down a walker.

Sam brought down his machete and took a few steps back as the Walkers began swarming the room. Sam's vision narrowed and he swung again, hacking off the head of another Walker before he turned his attention to another. Over and over he swung his blade,  
/the smell of rotting corpses and blood ran rich in the air and the small room would carry the scent for a long time.

When the last of the Walkers were dealt with Sam turned and saw that the others were cleaning up. But his hand went for his gun when he saw Tomas take a swing at Rick. He then pushed a Walker onto him, and Rick fell to the ground.

Sam dashed forward, machete in one hand, pistol in the other, and hacked the head off of the Walker trapping Rick on the ground. Rick got up and squared up to Tomas a little.

Tomas shrugged his shoulders "It was comin' at me, bro."

"Yeah, I get it," Rick laughed once sarcastically before his face became stone. "Shit happens."

Sam looked over the inmates and after a quick calculation decided that if things went as he knew they were he would aim at Oscar. He was big, armed and probably one of the smartest of the four inmates.

There twitch in Rick's arm and Sam aimed his gun at Oscar just as Rick's machete landed in Tomas's head, causing his lifeless body to collapse to the floor.

"No!" Andrew screamed as he swung his baseball bat at Rick who just sent the man sprawling on the floor with little effort.

"We don't have no affiliation to what just happened. Tell him, Oscar!" Axel begged.

Oscar shook his head. "Stop talking, man."

Axel bowed his head and began to quietly cry.

The group didn't move until Rick returned. He went over to Oscar, pulling out his gun and resting it between Oscar's eyes. "Look, we didn't have anything to do with that." Oscar's voice was calm and collected.

"You didn't know? You knew." Rick accused. "Daryl, Sam let's end this now!" Rick yelled as he pointed his gun at Axel's head.

Axel began to panic. "Sir, please listen to me! It was them that was bad. It wasn't us."

"Oh, that's convenient." Rick growled.

"You saw what he did to Tiny! He was my friend. Please, we ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm not killer. Oscar here, he's a B&E, and he ain't very good at it neither. We ain't the violent guys, they were! Please I swear to God! I  
/wanna live!" He begged as he cried.

Rick turned back to Oscar, who didn't flinch at the gun being pointed between his eyes. "What about you?"

"I ain't never pleaded for my life. And I ain't about to start now. So, you do what you gotta do." Oscar didn't take his eyes off the gun.

"Sam?"

Sam looked down at the inmates and analyzed them. When he had been… a raider, was the best word, he had to become a good judge of people. Which were likely to fight back, which would surrender without a fight. And which would beg. He needed to learn the  
/difference between fake begging and actual begging. And Axel was, without a doubt actually begging. And when people like him began speaking when a gun was to their heads, it was always the truth.

"Let 'em go," he said, holstering his gun. "He's telling the truth."

Rick stared at him for a moment, and then his arm fell to his side. He signaled for the group to get them back to their feet, Daryl had Oscar and T-Dog grabbed Axel by the arm.

There were no encounters with walkers on the rest of the walk to cell block B. The main housing area had bodies zipped tied behind their backs and neat holes going through their heads.

"I knew these guys," Axel said as he looked down the line of bodies, horrified. "They were good men."

"Let's go." Rick began to leave.

"So, you're just gonna leave us in here? Man, this is sick." Oscar frowned at Rick.

"We're locking down this cell block. From now on, this part of the prison is yours. Take it or leave it. That was the deal."

"You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside." Daryl told them.

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones."

"A word of advice - take those bodies outside and burn them." T-Dog advised. Then they left, closing the door behind them.

When they got back to the cell block, Carl and Glenn were standing outside Hershel's cell.

"Hershel stopped breathing. Mom saved him," Carl reported to his father.

"It's true," Glenn confirmed.

Rick entered and Sam followed. He stood next to Beth and put his hand on her shoulder. She who gave him a quick smile before turning her attention back to her father.

Sam looked down at Hershel, his breathing was still ragged and slow and his face was pale. There was a gurgling noise and the air that passed from Hershel's lips sounded as his there were words.

Maggie shot right to his side and waited, but nothing came and everyone slumped. All of a sudden, his eyes slowly flickered open. "Daddy?" Maggie was crying.

"Daddy!" Beth smiled and went to his side. Rick undid the handcuffs and Hershel's Rick arm fell.

Hershel's eyes were searching, and when they found what they were looking for, he reached his right hand out. Rick grabbed it and he knelt down to his side. Beth and Maggie were crying and holding on to each other.

Sam went to Hershel who looked at him and nodded. "Glad you're back old man," Sam whispered to him, "Wouldn' have been the same without you."

* * *

"Okay, let's get the other car in. We'll park 'em in the west entry of the yard" Rick was giving out orders as most of the group entered the outer yard. They had begun bringing the cars in and moving corpses so they could be burned. "After that, we need  
/to load up these corpses so we can burn 'em"

"Let me guess, T-Dog and I are on the movin' the Walker corpse job?" Sam asked sarcastically.

T-Dog actually laughed at that. "Gonna be a long day"

"Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help," Carol asked.

"Up in the guard tower," Daryl said as he pointed to the Northern Guard Tower.

"Guard tower? They were just up there last night," they all smiled a bit, even Rick cracked a grin.

Daryl cupped his mouth. "Glenn! Maggie!"

Sam could see shadows in the tinted glass and smiled as he saw the figure that he had guessed was Glenn struggling to pull on his pants. Glenn popped his head out, still shirtless and having a bit of trouble buttoning his jeans.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" He said a bit awkwardly, hoping that no one would comment on what he and Maggie had done the night before.

"You comin'?" Daryl shouted back up to him while the rest of the group began snickering amongst themselves.

"Yeah, we'll be right down," he went back inside to get dressed, red faced and awkward as can be.

"You know, I'm surprised. I mean we've been on the road together for months and this is the first time we've caught them," Sam said as he adjusted a hat he had found in the cell black. Though he had only put it on after thorough boiling and disinfection,  
/lice was the last thing he needed.

"I'm surprised we haven't caught you and blondie," Daryl said causing the rest of the group to laugh and Sam to get red faced.

"We actually haven'… wait no! Why am I tellin' you this?!"

" 'Cause you're a dumbass," well Sam couldn't fault Daryl for that one.

"Hey, Rick" T-Dog called behind them.

They turned and looked to where T-Dog was looking, Axel and Oscar were at the gate watching them. As if a switch had been thrown Rick immediately stopped smiling and the group began making their way to the fence.

"That's close enough," Rick warned them, his hand drifting towards his gun. "We had an agreement"

"Please, mister. We know that. We made a deal." Axel squinted in the sunlight, nervously crossing his arms. "But you gotta understand. We can't live in that place another minute, you follow me? All the bodies. People we knew. Blood, brains everywhere.  
/There's ghosts!"

"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Daryl sounded fed up.

"You should be burning them." T-Dog told them.

"We tried, we did!" Axel tried explaining.

"The fence is down the far side of the prison. Every time we dragged a body out, those things just lined up," Oscar added. "So, we lump in a body and then just run back inside."

"Look, we had nothin' to do with Thomas and Andrew, nothin'! You tryin' to prove a point? You proved it, bro! We'll do whatever it takes to be a part of your group, just please, please, don't make us live in that place!" Axel sounded desperate and the  
/fact that Oscar was letting him speak said that he was filled with the same desperation.

"Our deal is not negotiable." Rick explained harshly. "You either live in your cell block, or you leave."

"I told you this was a waste of time," Oscar told Axel before turning his attention back to Rick. "They ain't no different from the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends' corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw 'em out, like-"  
/he stopped himself and sighed. "These were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in the joint, like Thomas and Andrew. We've all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I ain't gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe  
/me, we've paid our due. Enough that we would rather hit that road than to go back into that shithole."

They both stared at each other and then Rick looked behind him at Daryl, who shook his head.

* * *

"Are you serious? You want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waitin' for a chance to grab our weapons," Rick told T-Dog who was dead set on letting the convicts stay. "You want to go back to sleepin' with one eye open?"

"I never stopped." T-Dog told him. "Bring them into the fold."

"If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves," Sam told him.

"I don't know, Axel seems a little unstable." Glenn worried.

"He's harmless. He couldn't defend himself let alone orchestrate our murders. Oscar, he's smart though. But he's smart enough to know that there's strength in numbers in this New World."

"After all we've been through? We fought so hard for all of this, what if they decide to take it? It's just been us for so long," Carol said, worried that she or her daughter could be sent out onto the road.

"I get it, guys, but I know how to read people. Let's be honest, if these guys wanted to kill us they would have attacked. They know the prison better than us, setting up an ambush would have been easy for them," Sam pointed out.

"I don't- it feels weird all of a sudden to have these people around," It was Maggie's turn to disagree.

"You all let me in," Sam told her.

"Yeah, but you turned up with a lost little girl, not a murderer."

"You realize that I was a murderer, right? You guys could have treated me like you are them, but you didn'!"

"Yeah but you proved you could be trusted," Glenn added.

"Then let them do the same."

"They're convicts, bottom line," Rick said, his mind already made.

"Those two might actually have less blood on their hands than we do," T-Dog frowned.

"Oh, I'm sure of it," Sam muttered.

"I get guys like this, hell I grew up with 'em. They're degenerates, but they ain't psychos. I could have been with them just as easy as I'm out here with you, guys," Daryl told us.

"So, are you with us?" T-Dog asked him.

"Hell, no. Let 'em take their chances out on the road, just like we did."

"When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid. Wanted for stabbin' his girlfriend. The kid blubbered like a baby durin' the interrogation, durin' the trial- suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, and 2 weeks later shot another girl.  
/We've been through too much. Our deal with them stands," They all walked away after that, their minds made up.

"Move the cars to the upper yard, point them facing out. They'll be out-of-the-way but ready to go if we ever need to bail," Rick barked his orders, handing the keys to Glenn.

Sam and T-Dog had already rounded up several bodies and placed them in a pile and were now working on clearing the ones from the upper yard.

Rick called after Sam and T-Dog. "We'll get the prisoners, a week's worth of supplies for the road."

"It might not last a week." T-Dog sighed.

"It's their choice."

"Not really." Sam muttered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Hey!" Rick snapped. "Whose blood would you rather have on your hands? Maggie's, Glenn's, Beth's? Or theirs?"

"If only there was a way that they could stay." Sam said before making his way into the cell block.

T-Dog had told him before they had made it up to the yard to get them both water so they weren't passing out.

Hershel was up on his feet, or foot, holding his crutches with Lori and Beth at either side. "Well I'll be damned! Looks like Hershel might make it after all!" Sam grinned at the sight of Hershel hobbling along.

"It'll take more than a Walker's bite to get me." Hershel boasted.

"Hershel, I think it would take an entire army of Walkers and them some to take you down," Sam laughed.

"And don't you forget it. In fact, make sure that Glenn doesn't either."

"Yes sir."

They made their way to the yard, careful with each step, making sure that Hershel didn't fall while getting used to the crutches.

"Take your time, daddy," Beth told him as he began speeding up on level ground.

"Yes sweetheart," He told her, slowing down a bit. "You cleared all those bodies out?"

"Yeah, T-Dog and I dumped 'em out in the yard," Sam told him, "We're gonna burn them right now, so maybe you should head inside, the smell tends to turn stomachs."

"It's starting to look like a place we can really live in," he admired the view as they walked, slowly, towards the yard.

Daryl, Glenn and Rick were down by the tear in the fence bringing in firewood before they all stopped and watched as Hershel began walking.

"All right, Hershel!" Glenn cheered across the prison, but then fell silent when Daryl told him something.

"You're doin' great, daddy" Beth smiled.

"You ready to race, Hershel?" Carl asked him.

"You give me another day, I'll take you on."

Sam smiled and slowed down so he could walk beside Beth. "He's doin' great."

She smiled and wrapped her hand around his. "Well hopefully he gets used to it. Though he was complaining that the crutches hurt his arms."

"I'll keep an eye out for a wheelchair next time we're out on a run," Sam told her and she gave him a grateful smile. "Who knows, it could be pretty badass too. Put a machine gun on there, a few spikes on the wheels, Hell I might want to lose a leg soI  
could use it."

Beth swatted his chest. "Don't joke like that."

Sam shrugged and kissed her. "Never."

"Walkers!" Carl screamed and Sam immediately spun around putting Beth behind him. He drew his pistol and began shooting the Walkers as they appeared. The Walkers advance was getting close to them so Maggie, Carl, and Lori went back into the cell blockjust  
as walkers swarmed the cage that led to C block.

"Get to the cage that leads to D-block!" Sam told them as he fired into another Walker.

Beth and Hershel led to the small cage under the deafening sound of all of the gunfire. Sam's ear drums were ringing and with each pull of the trigger they began to ring louder and louder.

Sam turned and checked to see if Beth and Hershel had made it to the cage but as they got to the steps, a Walker came behind Hershel and tried to bite on his leg. Sam aimed and pulled the trigger, but the click of the gun instead of the bang told himthat  
it was empty.

"Fuck!" Sam drew his machete and charged the Walker. Hershel had pushed it back with his crutches but the angle with which he was pushing it back at was an awkward one and he obviously didn't have much fight left. Sam raised his machete and brought itdown  
quickly burying the blade into the Walker's head splitting it open. "Go!"

They quickly entered the cage and Sam turnback to the oncoming mass of Walkers and fired just as the speakers around the prison began ringing over and over.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Sam looked back to Beth ad Hershel. "You two! Stay in that cage!"

Sam ran to where the Walkers were the thickest and began firing into their heads. He spotted Carol and Sophia trying to get away from a group of Walkers while T-Dog was busy trying to close the fence that they Walkers were pouring in through.

"Carol! Sophia!" Sam shouted as he aimed for the Walkers around them.

"Sammy! Help!" Sophia begged. Carol had pulled out her gun and began shooting at the incoming Walkers with pinpoint accuracy.

Sam ran to them and hacked off a Walkers head before he grabbed Sophia. "Follow me!" He shouted at Carol as the threeof them began to run towards the cage.

"Wait!" Carol said. Sam stopped briefly to see her running towards T-Dog who was bleeding badly from his shoulder. A few Walkers cut them off and Carol shouted for Sam to get Sophia to safety before she and T-Dog ran into the prison.

Sam got Sophia into the cage just as Rick, Daryl, and Glenn showed up with the convicts in tow and began shooting out the speakers and Walkers.

"What the hell happened?!" Rick screamed up at us over the noise.

"The gate was open!" Beth called down to him.

"Where's Lori, Carl, everyone else?!"

"Maggie led Lori and Carl into the C block!" Hershel shouted.

"T got bit, he took Carol inside," Samtold him.

"Anyone else?"

"No!" Sam came out of the cage. "We need to shut those sirens off, or the walkers are gonna tear those fences down."

"It has to be the backup generators," Oscar explained.

"Any idea on how to turn 'em off?!" Rick demanded.

"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison. They had shut them all off when the prison was overrun."

"Can someone open up the main gates electronically with full power?"

"I only worked in there a few days, I guess it might be possible."

Rick grabbed Oscar by his collar "Come with us!" and then they began sprinting into the prison.

They entered the cell block that they had been living in and found that the back cell door had been opened for Walkers. They quickly dispatched them and began searching for any sign of Lori, Maggie, and Carl.

"There's no sign of Lori or any of them," Rick panicked.

"They must have been pushed back into the prison," Glenn told him.

"Somebody is playin' games!" Rick yelled. "We'll split up and look for the others, whoever gets to the generators first, shut 'em down!"

Glenn, Axel, and Daryl went off together while Sam, Rick, and Oscar went off in a different direction.

They navigated the maze of the C-Block tombs killing Walkers until they eventually made it to the generator room. There were a few Walkers behind them so Sam was forced to hold the door.

"How do you shut these down?!" Sam heard Rick yell.

"I got it!" He heard Oscar yell a second after.

Sam's feet began struggling and sliding as he held the door shut. But just as he got a solid grip on the door he heard the sounds of fighting. Sam began to grow nervous as he heard Rick grunt from the blows that were either landing on him, or that he  
/was landing on his assailant.

Sam heard the fighting begin to die down and so he opened the door, knife ready. The first Walker he slammed his knife into, then threw its body into the two that were right behind it. He backed up and kicked one onto the ground before he jammed his left  
/forearm under the Walkers chin and pushed up. He sent his knife into its skull and twisted. It fell to the ground dead allowing Sam to finish off the one that was on the ground.

"Shoot him, we can take back this prison!" Sam snuck around one of the generators and saw Oscar pointing Rick's gun at its owner while Andrew was stood behind him, out of breath and too confident for Sam's taste.

Sam held his knife in a reverse grip and prepared to jump in and take out Oscar if it came to it. But Oscar simply adjusted his aim from Rick to Andrew, and killed the son of a bitch. He moved his aim to Rick only briefly and spun the gun, offering it  
/to Rick. Sam sheathed his knife and Rick shut off the generator, and then there was silence.

They made their way through the dark hallways, already exhausted from the day of killing Walkers. Sam knew there would be more bodies to bury the next day.

* * *

Once outside they gave Beth, Sophia, and Hershel the all clear to come out.

Beth immediately ran over and hugged Sam. He returned it a bit slowly, his body tired from the day's events, but smiled nonetheless. They stayed like that, ignoring almost everything else, until they heard the cry of a baby.

They broke apart and saw Carl and Maggie coming from the C block entrance. Maggie held a baby in her arms, blood covering her arms and tears falling freely from her eyes.

Rick began to walk over to them, dropping the axe he was holding. He shook his head out of disbelief. He began stuttering out half completed questions of, where is she? But all it did was make Maggie cry harder.

He looked at Carl, who refused to look up. He simply kept his eyes down and his gun, in his quivering right hand.

Beth Sniffled and Sam pulled her closer. They had lost to many people that day.

* * *

AN: Here you go guys! Hope you can forgive a few spelling mistakes and please review, I love 'em! Anyway, I'll see you guys next time! ~Pacco1


	11. Did I Ever Tell You About My First Kill?

Ch. 11

"Let me see the baby," Hershel ordered right away.

Carl took the baby from Maggie and gave her to Hershel. Behind them, Rick was still on his knees, no one was able to break him from the trance he had entered after he had learned Lori was dead.

"What're we gonna feed it?" Daryl asked Hershel. "We got anythin' a baby can eat?"

Hershel examined the baby. "The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula. And soon, or she won't survive."

"Nope, no way. Not her. We ain't losin' nobody else, I'm goin' on a run." Daryl said.

"I'll back you up," Maggie offered quickly.

"Okay, think about where we're goin'." he told her before he grabbed Beth from Sam and spoke to her quietly.

"Rick!" Maggie called out. The rest of them turned and saw Rick grabbing an axe off the floor before he ran into C block with a crazed look.

"C'mon, we're gonna lose the light!" Daryl shouted, mounting his bike and bringing the engine to life. Maggie hopped onto the back of the bike and the two of them rode out of the gates quickly.

"Glenn," Sam spoke up, "find Rick, now. Oscar, Axel, you're with me, we're gonna make sure C is safe for us to be in. Carl, Sophia, Beth knives out, stay out here until we give you the all clear. Got it?"

Carl's eyes were still cloudy and downcast but he seemed to register what Sam was telling him and so he nodded. He and Beth pulled out their knives while Hershel drew his sidearm.

Sam grabbed his machete and handed a knife to Oscar and Axel. "I know you two haven't used knives to kill 'em, but it's simple-"

"You gotta put your forearm under the chin, press up then jam in the knife and twist," Beth explained to them.

Sam smiled at her but quickly turned back to the inmates. "Like she said. You two ready?"

* * *

When Sam, Axel, and Oscar had entered the block, all they had found was a trail of Walker bodies that Rick had left in his wake.

The three of them had moved the bodies to the other end of the block, near the entrance to the tombs. The blood would have to be cleaned another time. At that moment all they cared to think about was how they would undo the damage that Andrew had caused.

"Axel, let 'em in. Oscar go and lock the gate at the back of C-block," Sam ordered the inmates as he went to the tomb entrance.

The barred door was wide open, but upon closer inspection, Sam saw that it could still be locked.

The sound of footsteps behind him caused his hand to hover over his pistol before he turned around and saw Carl, Sophia, Hershel, Beth, and Axel entering the block. Their knives were still drawn and Carl still looked shocked. At least that was what Sam  
thought he was feeling. He had felt the same way after he had put down Michael.

When Glenn returned he informed them that Rick was out of it. All he had been doing was killing Walkers, and that when he had tried to all he did was growl and move on to kill more Walkers.

Sam knew what he was doing. He was killing out the grief. He had seen it. Robert had done it after he had lost his girlfriend Grace. It took everyone in his old group to stop him from running into a whole herd of Walkers and getting himself killed. Good  
news was that the infestation was rather small in the prison. Bad news, Rick was batshit crazy, Daryl and Maggie were gone, and Glenn had decided to take it upon himself to go and dig graves. Oh, and there was a newborn that they had to take care  
of.

Sam sat down and sighed. It would, without a doubt, be a very long day.

* * *

After an excruciatingly long day, Sam was sitting in the guard tower, watching the Walkers patrol the outside of the gates. He smiled at them, the Unintentional Sentries he called them. Guarding the gates without even knowing it.

When Daryl and Maggie had gotten back the had fed the baby and the new temporary, and official nickname, had been given by Daryl. Little Ass-Kicker. Sam knew that no matter what would happen, they would call the baby that.

But Little Ass-Kicker's chances of survival were now higher. She had formula, people to protect her, the high walls were a big plus as well.

Rick though, he hadn't returned. No one was sure on how to feel about that. If Rick wasn't there, then who would become the leader. Daryl was at the forefront of Sam's mind. He was capable, and a survivor, after him it would most likely be the joint leadership  
of Glenn and Maggie. But what would happen if they died or couldn't lead like Rick at the moment.

Sam wouldn't. He refused to. The last time he led a group with someone they had killed people and taken their things. Sure, it was in the name of survival and keeping themselves fed, but it was a slippery slope. As soon as you let something like that  
slide, how soon before you kill someone for disobeying you, or let your men do what they wished to others, particularly the women. How long before things became anarchy?

No same refused to do that, to lead. He didn't trust himself enough to lead anymore.

"Sam?" he was broken out of his thoughts when Carl came into the guard tower. He had taken off his hat. "I can take over if you want."

Sam shook his head and turned back toward the darkness. "I'm good, Carl. To be honest, the darkness is kind of calming. You can barely see any of the Sentries, the moon and the stars, it's kind of perfect actually."

Carl stood next to Sam and looked to the stars. He knew that the kid wouldn't cry. He was trying to play the badass. The feeling BAMF. And to see a kid trying to do this, to see a kid that had shot his own mother in the head to keep her from returning  
from the dead. It was just one of the many things that made him hate the new word with a passion.

"Did I ever tell you 'bout my first kill?" Sam asked him. The boy perked up a bit but didn't say anything. "It was just, something that happened. My group and I, we hadn't eaten in ten days. We were snapping at each other. Arguing about our next move.  
It was Michael who spoke up next. He told everyone to shut up. That he heard something. So, we listened, and sure enough, we heard someone shouting in the distance. I forgot what they were arguing about. But by the time we found 'em, they were hunched  
over a map, trying to figure out where to go. Michael was the first to say it. ' _We can go in, take their shite, and be gone.'_ So, we did. The woman went for a gun, Michael wasn't looking at her, he was going through their shite, so I aimed  
my gun at her, and shot without a thought. Right through the head… and the first thing to go through my mind after that, was wondering when we were going to eat. After a month on the road, I had just been completely desensitized to the horrors of  
the world. After the amount of time we've been on the road, and what you've seen, I can only imagine Carl. But don't bottle it up, that's bad shite, bottling it up. Let it out, even if it's just you."

Sam, walked away, leaving the young boy alone in the guard tower. When he reached the bottom, he could hear the faintest of sniffling coming from the tower.

* * *

Sam woke up with a stiff neck and a throbbing right arm. Sleeping on concrete and your arm were always the worst. Especially when you wake up early because you can't sleep in. But Sam couldn't complain out loud, it annoyed him to no end when people complained  
about something they could fix or was their fault, and if there was one thing that annoyed him as much as that, it was hypocrites.

"What are ya' doing on the floor?" Beth asked him as she rolled over on the bed that they usually shared.

"You sprawled out on the bed and I didn' want to disturb you," he smiled, " 'sides, sleeping on the floor is good for character, keeps me humble."

Beth rolled her eyes and got out of the bed. "You're an idiot."

Sam smiled again and stood up. "I never said I wasn't."

Breakfast was a simple affair, as if was most days. People chatted absentmindedly, others were still trying to wake up. Sam spotted Sophia sitting by herself towards the end of the table, stirring her cereal and water around in her bowl. Sam tapped Beth  
on the arm and told her that he was going to try and talk to the girl.

"Hey Sophia," Sam said gently as he set his plate down next her hers. "You doing alright?"

She continued to stare at her bowl and shook her head.

"You, know your mom's gonna be fine, right? She's out there. We're gonna find her."

She wiped her eyes and nodded. Sam was about to speak to her again when she got out of her seat and walked back into the cell block.

"Everybody okay?" Sam almost jumped at Rick's voice.

"Yeah, we are," Maggie answered him, the conversation amongst the survivors had died and everyone was now looking at the leader with concern and weariness.

Rick slowly walked towards the table, a grim and glazed look in his eyes. He had obviously not gotten any sleep and he was moving through the block sluggishly.

"What about you?" Hershel asked him.

"Cleared out the boiler block," Rick said in lieu of an answer.

"How many were there?" Daryl asked him.

"I don't know, a dozen, two dozen. I have to get back, just wanted to check on Carl," he patted his son's shoulder and started to leave.

"Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies, you don't have to," Glenn tried to stop him. Sam didn't bother. It was the same with Robert.

"No, I do," he said slowly. "Everybody have a gun and a knife?"

"Yeah, we're running low on ammo, though," Daryl reported.

"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon. We found a phone book with some places we can hit, look for bullets and formula," Glenn stood when he addressed Rick.

"We cleared out the generator room. Axel's there tryin' to fix it in case of an emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels, as well," Daryl informed Rick.

"Good," Rick nodded and then as quick as he entered, he left once again.

"What are we gonna do?" Glenn spoke up after waiting a few minutes after Rick left. Sound traveled in the prison.

"Nothin' we can do," Sam told him. "I've seen it before. He needs to kill the grief, figuratively and literally."

"We can't just let him go and kill Walkers by himself!" Glenn argues.

"Why not? Rick, knows what he's doin' when it comes to Walkers. As for his grief, let him work it out himself."

"And if it doesn't work?" Maggie asked.

"Well I don' know about you guys, but I don't think interventions are really an option nowadays. Especially with someone as unstable as he is."

* * *

Sam hated, _hated_ , being on guard duty. Sure, at night it was alright because you had the stars and the moon, but during the day? There was absolutely nothing but the heat and looking at all of the Sentries. But he was the only one available for  
duty. Glenn and Maggie off on a run, Daryl, Oscar, and Carl out clearing a Block, Axel not knowing which end to aim a gun, and Rick of course losing his fucking marbles. So, it was Sam's turn for another watch, lucky him.

He looked through the scope of his rifle toward the Sentries, his gaze landing at those along the fence. Carl and Rick were there. And saw was a Walker with what looked like a sword. Now that would make Sam's day better. A sword for his troubles. But  
then he looked at the Walker.

She was black, rather tall, but what stood out was the way she stood, how she was still. Usually Walkers were incapable of being still. They would move any way that they could no matter what. But she was still, and holding something in her hand.

And that was when the Sentries began to notice her.

* * *

AN: So a bit shorter than usual, sorry couldn't be helped, I felt like I hadn't posted in a while so I needed to get it out there. Moving on, hoped you guys liked it, please leave a review, I don't like begging (Bad for the knees) but I really like reviews.  
Please forgive any spelling errors and grammar problems. I'll see you all next time! ~Pacco1


	12. Cabin in the Woods

Ch. 12

The woman, who Sam had realized was not a Walker, dropped the basket she had been carrying and unsheathed her sword. Though with every step that she took there was a slight stumble to her step.

"Should we help her?" Carl asked his dad frantically. Rick began running to the front gate.

The woman swung her sword frantically, spitting heads and taking them off with every stroke. But the bleeding wound in her leg was drawing in more walkers as she limped away from the gathering storm.

She stumbled to much and fell backward seeming disoriented before passing out.

Two Walkers were upon her and were just about to feed when Sam lined up a shot and took it. The Walkers head snapped back as the bullet tore through its skull sending it to the ground. Just as Sam was about to line up another shot a crack sounded through the air and the second Walker fell to the ground.

Sam looked down and saw Carl standing safely behind the fence, his gun raised as Rick ran into the entrance courtyard throwing his son the keys to the gate. Sam provided them covering fire, quickly dispatching a few Walkers, giving them enough time to get the woman and bring her into the prison.

"Is she bit?" Hershel asked, limping to the front gate on his crutches.

"Gunshot," Rick informed him as he quickly examined the wound on her leg. He threw her over his shoulders as the rest of the group went back into the prison, Sam taking a bit longer having to climb down from the guard tower.

Sam entered the block just as the woman had woken up and began to panic

"It's alright, look at me, look at me," Rick said softly as he poured a bottle of water on her to cool her. "Who are you?" The woman looked around and saw her sword laying on the ground near her and went for it almost immediately. Sam pulled her gun but Rick managed to kick it away before she could grab it. "We're not gonna hurt you. Unless you try something stupid first, alright?"

"Rick," Daryl spoke up as he came out of the cell block. "Who the hell's this?"

"You wanna tell us your name?" Rick asked as the Woman began to lean on her elbows. "You wanna tell us your name?"

She remained silent and Daryl took the opportunity to speak up. "Y'all come on in here."

Rick stood up. "Everythin' alright?"

Daryl actually seemed like he was going to crack a smile. "You're gonna wanna see this."

Daryl led them to a cell, and Rick went in first, stopping in his tracks, for inside the cell was the long-lost Carol. Carol stood up and immediately brought her into a fierce hug. They both smiled and laughed, everyone grinned at the return of Carol.

"Poor thing fought her way into a cell. Must have passed out, dehydrated," Daryl explained as the two of them broke apart.

Sophia broke through the crowd and let out a sob when she saw her mother. The two hugged and Sam smiled at the reunion.

It was beginning to look up once more.

* * *

"We can tend to that wound for you, give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way," Rick told the woman they had saved earlier. Sam and Rick both had their hands resting on their guns while Daryl held his crossbow loosely in one hand. "But you're gonna have to tell us how you found us. And why you were carrying formula."

"The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl," They all perked up at that.

"What happened?"

"Were they attacked?" Hershel's voice was in a panic.

"They were taken."

"Taken? By who?" Rick demanded.

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me." The woman's voice was filled with malice and her face showing nothing but hatred for the man she spoke of.

"Hey, these are our people. You better tell us what happened now!" Rick grabbed her leg, around where her gunshot wound was and she jumped up in a rage.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" She yelled shoving a finger in his face.

"You better start talkin'. You're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound," Daryl warned her, his crossbow raised.

"Find 'em yourself," she spat at him.

Sam holstered his gun and walked over to her. "Listen, how would you feel if this had been your people, one of your friends? You'd do whatever you could to save them, right? Well that's what we're doin', so would you kindly tell us where they are?"

She looked Sam over, her eyes cold and calculating. Sam could recognize the look. He had done it so many times when his original group had… done the things he wasn't proud of.

"There's a town," she told him, "Woodbury. About 75 survivors, I think they were taken there."

"A whole town?" Rick sad in disbelief.

"It's run by this guy who calls himself the Governor. Pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type."

"Great, now we got a fuckin' cult to deal with, perfect."

"He got muscle?" Daryl asked, ignoring Sam's comment.

"Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed sentries on every wall."

"You know a way in?" Rick asked her.

"The place is secure from walkers, but we could slip our way through."

Rick was still full of doubt. "How'd you know how to get here?"

"They mentioned a prison, said which direction it was in, said it was a straight shot." She told him very-matter-of-fact.

"This is Hershel, father of the girl who was taken. He'll take care of that." He nodded towards her leg and made his way back into the cell block.

* * *

"How do you know we can trust her?" Oscar asked, after Rick had informed everyone on the situation.

"This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debatin'?" Beth asked aloud.

"That's because we aren't," Sam told her. "I'm goin'. Pretty sure Daryl will back me up. Hell, just the two of us could go in, grab 'em no problem."

"He's right," Daryl agreed, "But we're leaving as soon as she's able to."

"Well, this place sounds pretty secure, you can't go alone" Rick told them.

"I'll go," Beth agreed.

Axel stepped forward. "Me too."

"I'm in," Oscar nodded.

* * *

"I got the flash bangs and the tear gas," Daryl told Sam and Oscar as they loaded the trunk of the car. "Never know what you're gonna need."

"That's what I learned out on the road. Bring every tool you can," Sam told him as he weighed one of the canisters in his hand.

Sam felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Beth motion toward the gate. They walked over, Sam adjusting his rifle so that it was slung behind him instead of across his chest.

"You alrigh'," He asked her.

"I should be the one asking you. I mean, you're the one that's going out there."

Sam brushed it off, trying to keep the mood light . "I'll be fine. I got Oscar, Daryl, Rick , and a lady with a sword backing me up."

Beth bit her lip and looked down to the ground. "Jus' promise me you'll come back."

Sam smiled at the clichéness of the moment. "Beth, I promise you, that I will do my best to come back. Cross my heart."

She smiled and hugged him tightly. He felt her let out a few shaky breaths so he kissed the top of her head, telling her that it would be alright. She pulled back and went on the tips of her toes and gave him a deep passionate kiss that, to be frank, he was not quite prepared for.

It was so sudden and Sam eagerly returned it, cupping her cheek and closing his eyes.

"Hey, Paddy Reilly! We gotta go!" Sam mentally cursed Daryl as he and Beth pulled apart. Their faces flushed and their breathing heavy.

"I swear to you Beth, I'll be back."

"You better."

* * *

Sam leaned his head against the window as the car navigated through the backroads of Georgia. His eyes were closed, his brain gearing up to where he needed it to be. Back to the first few months. Back to the killer that he was before he had met the group.

Of course, he had killed after he had joined them. But this mission they were on, if just felt different. He could feel it in his bones. He needed to be as ruthless as he had once been.

"They have patrols, we're better off on foot," Michonne said, Sam felt the car slowly grind to a halt.

They exited the car and went to the trunk, getting their packs, guns, and any other equipment that they might need out.

"How far? Night's comin'," Rick asked her, looking up and examining the sky.

"It's a mile, maybe two," they finished gearing up and followed Michonne into the woods.

Sam held his machete loosely in his right hand while his pistol sat comfortably in his left. The woods were relatively quiet, birds sang, the sun shined brightly through the trees. Sam would have thought that he was on a hike had it not been for the military grade weapons.

Oh, how he wished he could go back to that time, where a person could walk through the woods and not have to worry about the threat of Walkers or Raiders. But those days were done, and probably forever.

"You alright?" Rick asked the young Irishman.

He shrugged and his eyes scanned the woods. "I suppose. Just a little nervous. My friends and I never attempted anything like this. We always stuck to groups of five or less."

"Why?"

"There were only six of us," neither of them could resist smiling at the bit of dark humor. "No but um, I just want to get our people back. Make the son of a bitch suffer."

Rick was about to respond when they both heard a groan. Then another, and another, and another. "Shite."

"Down," Rick ordered the others as he crouched low and everybody followed his example. Walkers began pouring onto the trail, Sam raised his machete defensively as did the others with their melee weapons. "Get in formation, no gunfire." Rick then proceeded to jam his dagger into the Walker's head. The others followed suit. Sam brought his down and kicked the Walker away, freeing his machete as he turned to his next target.

"There's too many of 'em," Daryl huffed as he pulled his knife out of a Walker. They began emerging from the trees surrounding the small group.

"This way," they all followed Rick through a small opening among the Walkers, their weapons flashing as they brought them down on the Walkers that got in their way. "In there, c'mon!" Rick pointed to a rundown wooden hut with the windows boarded up.

They piled through the door and Sam wrinkled his nose at the smell. The others were not immune to the scent as they brought their hands up to shield their noses.

"That smell, it's loud," Daryl said.

"Did something die in here?" Sam asked, though he knew that it was a very likely possibility that something indeed did die in there.

They began to explore the rest of the hut, being careful as to where they stepped, as if someone had booby trapped the entire place.

"What the hell is that?" Oscar asked, as his flashlight glanced past the body of an animal.

"It's got to be a fox or what's left of one," Daryl said as his flashlight over the body. "Guess Lassie went home."

Walkers began pounding on the door, their nails scraping and pulling against the wood each hand trying to find their way in. The wood began creaking and groaning from the number of Walkers that were at the door.

Rick signaled them to follow him. Sam and Daryl moved quickly, their weapons drawn and at the ready. Rick's light shined on the bed in the corner of the room, and he slowly reached his hand out and grasped the blanket, pulling it off and revealing a scrawny man in tattered clothes wielding a double barrel shotgun.

"Who the hell are you?" he yelled pointing his gun at the group.

"We don't mean any harm!" Rick tried to tell the man but he simply aimed his rifle at tried to calm the man.

"Get outta my house!" He shouted again.

"Okay, we will, but we can't right now," Rick explained.

"Now!"

"Shut him up," Michonne whispered growing annoyed with the man.

"Get out! Right now!"

"There are walkers outside."

He looked around at all of them. "I'll call the cops!" He threatened.

"I am a cop. Now, I need you to lower the gun. Don't do anything rash. Let's just take this nice and slow, okay?"

The man shoved his gun into Rick's face. "Show me your badge!" He demanded.

"It's in my pocket. I'm just gonna reach down, nice and slow," Rick moved his hand to his back pocket, but then quickly pushed the man's gun out of the way and pulled him into a headlock.

Rick screamed and pulled his hand back, teeth marks embedded in the skin and the man dashed for the door. But before he could open it, Michonne's sword had impaled him and he fell to the floor lifeless.

"What do we do now?" Oscar asked and Rick and Daryl knelt beside the body.

"Remember the Alamo?" Daryl asked Rick.

Rick and Daryl picked up the man and positioned him by the door. "Help me with the door."

"On it," Sam said without hesitation. He remembered doing things like this during the early days. He'd tune out the horrible things he was doing at the time, and find a way to process them later. It was routine at this point.

"Oscar, check the back." Rick and Daryl threw this man's body out of the door and into a crowd of Walkers, before Sam slammed the door behind them.

* * *

It was dark by the time they arrived outside of Woodbury's gates. There were a few men on watch, one manning a spotlight, the others walking back and forth along the walls with rifles.

"You know, Rick, I hate to be the pessimist, but there is no fuckin' way we're getting in and out without anyone spotting us," Sam said as he looked through the scope of his rifle.

"An' there ain't no way we're gonna check in them buildings, not with all them guards there," Daryl added.

Suddenly, branches snapped behind them and they all turned with their weapons drawn. Michonne came from behind them and motioned for them to follow her. And although they were hesitant, they did so.

* * *

AN: So I'm not the best with romantic scenes, that's kind of why I'm doing the Beth and Sam thing in this story, to try and help me improve with writing them. Well that and I enjoy them. Not sure if that's how it's gonna be for the rest of the story or if Sam will end up with someone else... let me know your thoughts on that either through a review or PM. Either way, the Assault of Woodbury will commence next chapter. In the meantime I will be going back and renaming all of the chapters. I'm going to name the chapters now, just letting you guys know. Please Review! ~Pacco1


	13. Battle of Woodbury

Ch. 13

"This is where you were held?" Daryl asked Michonne as the group entered a storage room.

"I was questioned," she snapped.

"Any idea where else they could be?" Rick asked her.

The front of the building had curtains drawn and Seeing flickering of lights from the other side of the curtain, I moved it aside a little and saw people walking by. Old people, young people, the kind you'd see walking around back when shit was normal.

"I thought you said there was a curfew" Daryl had joined me looking out the window.

"The streets are packed during the day. Those are stragglers"

"If anyone comes in here, we're sittin' ducks. We gotta move" Rick protested.

Sam stood off to the side with Oscar. The two of them looking at the door that led to the main street. Shadows passed over the windows. Sam could see how relaxed and at ease the shadows seemed to be. As if the world hadn't gone to shit and it wasn't anything but a regular Friday night. _Is it even Friday night?_ Sam thought to himself. It was so hard to remember the days of the week, ever since the world ended at least.

There was a clicking at the front of the building and a man in a hat and vest walked in. "I know you're in here," the man called out. "I saw you movin' from outside. You're not supposed to be in here and you know it."

Sam readied his knife, his vison narrowing and his hear racing. _Come on, come on, just a little closer_ , a sinister voice said in his head.

Just as the man was going to cross into the room, when Sam would jump and plunge his knife into the man's neck, Rick jumped out and pinned him up against the wall, covering his mouth and holding his gun to his head.

"Shut up," he ordered him, "Get on your knees and hands behind your back." Rick threw the man to the floor as Daryl tied his hands behind his back. "Where are our people?!"

"I don't know," the man told him. Rick shot Sam a quick look.

Sam nodded ad moved to the man, his knife still in his hands. "Where are they?" He asked, his voice calm, his knife pressed against the man's throat. "And tell the truth or I will kill you, right here, right now."

The man's eyes widened and Sam saw a wet spot begin to grow on his pants.  
"I-I don't know! Please you have to believe me I don't know!"

Sam looked to Rick and nodded slowly bringing his knife away from the man's throat.

"Open your mouth," Rick ordered him and the man did as he was told. Rick shoved a rag into the man's mouth gagging him. Sam hit him over the head, knocking him out cold.

"What's the plan?" Sam asked.

"Plan hasn't changed," Rick growled out.

All of a sudden, gunfire echoed through the town and the civilians began screaming and running in every direction. Sam raised his rifle and the group made their way out the door. They stuck to the shadows and avoided the civilians in the street until they arrived to where they believed the source of the gunfire was.

They followed the hallway in the building until they found a small hidden staircase where they could see who had Maggie and Glenn being led away by several men. Rick and Daryl pulled the pins on their gas grenades and threw them into the narrow hallway. They ran around the corner and grabbed Maggie and Glenn who had bags over their heads. Sam grabbed Maggie's arm and lifted her to her feet.

They tore the bags from their heads and led them through the building and toward the street. The street wasn't very crowded and the group made their way into an abandoned building where they could rest and regroup.

"How bad are you hurt?" Rick asked Glenn and Maggie when they were on the ground and resting.

"I'll be alright," Glenn said, grabbing his ribs as he leaned against the wall.

"Where's that woman?" Maggie asked.

Rick and Sam looked around and saw that Michonne was gone.

"She's gone," Sam said.

"Want me to look for her?" Daryl asked, his crossbow raised and ready.

"No, we gotta get them outta here. She's on her own." Rick said.

"Daryl," Glenn gasped. "This was Merle."

Daryl stopped in his tracks, staring at Glenn. "You saw him?"

"Face to face. Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl's face was still full of shock.

Glenn nodded. "He does now. Rick, I'm sorry, I told him where the prison was."

Sam swore under his breathe while Rick nodded. "No need to apologize, we have to get back, can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good," Glenn reassured him.

Rick turned to Sam next. "Sam, you got any ideas?"

* * *

Andrea was doing her rounds that Philip had told her to do. Making sure that the citizens of Woodbury were tucked in and safe. It annoyed her to no end of how he was treating her as if she didn't know how to handle herself.

She had just walked out of one of the apartment blocks when the gunfire started. The guards stormed over to where the sound had started. She quickly pulled her pistol out and ran over. Smoke began to fill the street restricting her visibility but she kept on.

Through it all she spotted someone. It was a man in a blue jumpsuit toting a shotgun. She raised her gun, prepared to shoot the man, when she saw another man. He had black hair, was rather tall, and a machete was strapped to his belt, the rifle in his hands looked familiar, but that was when he turned around. Even in the darkness she could see the gray of his eyes, the cockiness of his smile. It was Sam.

But what was he doing there? Why was he there, shooting at the people of her new settlement?

And then it all came back to her. The conversation with Rick. How he had told her what Sam had done, whom he had killed, the kind of person he was.

And that was when she began pulling the trigger.

* * *

They were in deep shit, there was no denying it. Outmanned and outgunned. It was probably only due to the smoke grenades that they had lasted so long.

Daryl fired his AK at the men attacking them. "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna lay down some cover fire!"

"Don' do anything stupid Redneck!" Sam shouted as he shot one of the Woodbury defenders. The man rolled on the ground in pain and for some reason Sam felt a sudden relief.

"Don't worry Paddy I'll catch up!" He threw another smoke bomb and began laying down covering fire as the rest of them got to their feet and ran for the walls.

Maggie and Glenn went up the wall first while Sam and Oscar covered them.

Sam fired into the crowd of armed guards and, as if time had slowed, saw a man with a shotgun pump a round into his chamber and take aim at Oscar. He reacted. Just like he had done so in the beginning. He just did.

He felt the burning in his shoulder before he hit the ground. All of those stories where the main character didn't feel the bullet when it went in, bullshit. It was the first thing he felt. The multiple metal pellets tearing into his skin and muscle. He screamed when his shoulder hit the ground, among the pain worse than he would have imagined.

He saw Oscar shoot the man that he shot him. He screamed again, and then, embraced the darkness.

* * *

When Sam opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that his shoulder was wrapped tightly in bandages. Then he heard sniffling so he opened his eyes. Hershel, Beth, and Sophia were all sitting to his right. Sophia was the only one awake, and she was currently wiping her eyes of tears, Sam grimaced, knowing the pain that he had probably caused them and sat up slowly, careful not to move his left shoulder to fast.

"Hey there Soph," Sam said softly. "What'd I miss?"

Sophia sat up quickly and rushed in to hug him. He winced from her sudden contact with his shoulder, but smiled and wrapped his right arm around her and brought her in tightly.

"You're okay!" she said, her voice muffled since her head was buried in his unwounded shoulder.

"Was there ever any doubt?" he asked softly.

She pulled away and shook her head, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Hershel muttered something as he slowly began to stir.

He opened his eyes and was fully awake when he saw Sam sitting up. "You're awake. You gave us quite the scare Mr. Conall."

Sam shrugged and crossed his eyes when his shoulder began to throb. "Yeah, I'm fine, aside from the pain in the shoulder I don' feel too different."

"You need to let the shoulder rest," Beth began to wake up, "Don't use the arm too much, at least for a couple of days. After that I'll check the bandages and let you test out your arm. Understood?"

Sam nodded and Herschel did the same. Sam was about to say something else when a blur of blonde hair rushed into him throwing him onto the bed. He groaned, and moved his shoulder popping a few bones and ignoring the throbbing.

"Hello Beth," he whispered. He heard Hershel chuckle and lead Sophia out of the cell.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" She whispered before she pulled away and slapped him across the face. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"Alrigh' I'm sorry Beth, but it was either do that or let Oscar take a shot in the chest, and I wasn't about to let that happen. Is everyone else alrigh' though?"

"They're fine," she told him, "Well, Daryl… never mind! Just, just lay here, with me. Please?"

Deciding that he could be a bit selfish and not have to worry for a bit, Sam laid down with Beth and the two of them cuddled. And although Sam' bobby was resting and recovering, his mind was racing. Because he knew that war was coming.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! Ok, I know, it's short but I needed to get it out because I am stressing and this is kind of my escape. So I will try to get my next chapters out quick, but they may be a bit shorter, I don't know. So please review, and I'll see you next time! ~Pacco1


	14. Are We Not Innocent?

Ch. 14

"So, he's gone, ran off with Merle. And Rick's back in crazy land. Shite," Sam closed his eyes and tried to process what Glenn had told him. From what he had heard, things had gone to shit very fast. They were down two men, Daryl gone, Rick bat shit, and for all they knew The Governor was planning to attack. "Guns, what guns do we have left?"

"Shotguns, probably three rifles, hundred twenty rounds between them. We don't have enough," Glenn told him.

"Rick really fucked us over when he chased those guys out," Oscar said off handedly. "We could've used the muscle, guy was built like a fucking truck, man!"

"Yeah well, it's a little too late for that isn' it," Sam told him.

"We need to lock this place down, now," Glenn suggested, "If he comes back with even half the guys he has, we're done."

"You're right," Sam agreed. "But how did those people even get into the prison?"

Glenn reached down and grabbed a map of the prison. "Carl told me that they said that there was a breach here. Now if there's a whole section of the prison gone, then we need to plug it up."

"Agreed," Oscar and Sam said together.

"Want to go check it out, we'll stay here and hold things down?" Sam asked him.

Glenn nodded and the three adjourned the impromptu meeting to carry out their respective tasks.

* * *

"The tombs outside the boiler room are overrun again," Glenn said as he and Carl came back from the tombs.

"That whole section had been cleared," Beth said as she shut the gate behind him.

"It's a steady stream of Walkers," Carl said, a bit out of breath and his cloths bloodied.

Sam swore under his breath while Hershel spoke up. "We're wasting time. The Governor is supposedly on the way and we're stuck in here with Walkers."

"Die in here or die out there," Sam muttered.

"For the last time running is not an option!" Glenn told Hershel.

"Glenn, if the tombs have filled up again, it may just be a matter of time before they push in here," Carol said softly, hoping that Sophia didn't hear. Sophia was currently taking care of Judith in the cellblock while everyone else discussed options.

"Or until a fence gives way," Beth said.

"Or one of them herds is passing through? Or settled?" Axel told him.

Glenn seemed as if he was struggling with the weight of command but eventually told everyone that he was going to go and scout the far side of the prison to check on the breaches. He went alone while everyone else stayed to help with the fortifications of the prison.

* * *

Sam had a hard time watching the others work while he stood off to the side. Hershel told him that he would need to keep the bandages on for a few days, and that if he were to remove them he would probably need to keep his shoulder wrapped up longer.

Carol and Axel had decided to take a break and were looking out at the field below. Sam had taken a liking to Axel. Sure, he had been a bit unstable when they had first met, but he was a good guy. A bit of a coward, a terrible shot, but a decent mechanic.

Sam took a seat on the ground and rubbed his shoulder, it crackled and throbbed a bit, but it was undoubtedly a lot less than when he had woken up. Who know, maybe he would get the bandages off sooner than a few days.

There was a loud bang and Carol screamed. Sam rose to his feel quickly and saw that Axel and Carol were on the ground. That was when more gunfire started and Axel's back erupted in red from the bullets that his body was taking in order to shield Carol.

Maggie came running out of the cellblock, two rifles in her hands. She handed one to Sam who took it and quickly ran over to try and get Carol out of the mess that she was in.

Sam lifted the rifle and tried firing it with one hand, but the recoil sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Maggie, I can't really fire," he told her as he set the rifle down. "But I can see an asshole in the tower over there. I have a plan."

"What is it?" before she could say anything else Sam leapt out of cover and began zigzagging around the yard drawing the attention of the man in the tower. He fired down at him peppering the ground around Sam's feet with lead.

He saw Maggie firing at the man and when he heard a grunt and the shots around him stopped, he knew she had killed him. He ran to Carol, his head down and heart racing, and brought her to her feet. She was shaking and trying to wipe the blood from her face but Sam managed to get her back to cover.

A white and orange van came into view and at full speed it pushed its way into the prison, taking down both of the main gates, letting the Walkers stroll into the yard. The van stopped in the middle of the yard.

Sam saw Hershel and Michonne were still in the yard.

"Shite, come on Maggie!" Sam told her and he drew his pistol and ran for the gate.

A ramp dropped from the van's rear and hit the floor with a loud thud, then Walkers began pouring out of the back. Hershel pulled his gun and began shooting the dead as a man in body armor jumped out of the van and ran out of the yard.

Sam opened the gate and rushed into the yard shooting the Walkers, clearing a path toward Hershel. He could hear Maggie shouting for him to get back to the fence, but he tuned her out.

Hershel hopped as quickly as he could, Sam tried his best to keep the Walkers away but those that he couldn't shoot, Michonne took care of them.

The gunfire that cane from outside the prison stopped and Sam took that as a sign that the Governor and his men had left. There was another vehicle approaching and Sam recognized it as the one that Glenn had taken to scout out the collapsed area of the prison. Hershel and Michonne both hopped in the bed of the truck which quickly made it back into the safety of the gate.

With the fences, down and Walkers flooding the yard, Sam's hate for a man he had yet to meet spiked to levels he didn't even know where possible.

* * *

"We can't stay here!" Hershel's voice echoed through the chamber of the Block.

"Rick says we're not running, we're not running!" Glenn argued for Rick.

"No, better to live like rats," Daryl's newly returned brother Merle.

"You got a better idea?" Rick asked him.

"Yeah, shoulda slid outta here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we?" Merle replied. "I'm sure he's got scouts on every road outta this place by now."

"We ain't scared of that prick." Daryl told his brother.

"Y'all should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringin' the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to," Sam closed his eyes and leaned his head against the guard rails of the stairs. He disliked Merle, but not to the same degree of everyone else, he understood why he had done what he did. He was in the same position once. Michael had not been a saint, at times Sam was convinced he was the devil.

"Let's put him in the other cell block," Maggie suggested.

"No," Sam spoke up, "He's got a point. Governor had the guns and numbers, but from what I've heard of him, he wouldn't let this turn into a siege. He likes to kill his victims himself, starving us out would take the joy out of it for him. Wouldn't it Merle?"

"He would tell us not to waste bullets," Merle began, "We would tell ourselves that it was to really save 'em. But, nah, he enjoyed it. The killing. Looking in their eyes when the light went out. That man's a monster."

"And you worked for him!" Glenn stood to his feet.

"We've all done things we aren't' proud of!" Rick yelled. "Sit down!"

"I still say we should leave," Hershel resumed his argument. "Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here!" Rick turned and began to walk away, and Hershel was having none of it. "Get back here! You're slippin', Rick. We've all seen it, we understand why. But now is not the time. You once said this isn't a democracy and now you have to own up to that. I put my family's life in your hands, so get your head clear and do something!"

The arguing dissolved into a shouting match. Eventually they all called it quits and everyone went back to their cells to sleep. Everyone except for Sam, who had been put on guard duty… again. It wasn't that he minded being put on guard duty, it was just that they made no effort to rotate him off of the night shift even though he had a list of shit to do during the day.

He scanned the tree line with his scope, seeing nothing but the sentries and the van that had rammed the gates down. Sam thought back to what he said about the Governor not turning it into a siege. From his point of view, it already was a siege.

There was the clanging of shoes on the metal staircase behind him and Sam thought that someone had come to relieve him from guard duty.

"Hey," Beth said softly.

"Beth," Sam smiled taking his eyes away from the field. "Well isn' this a nice surprise."

She smiled and sat down next to him. Sam saw that she had her knife strapped to her belt but her gun was missing. She was wearing a white tank top that, Sam couldn't help but notice, gave him a glimpse of her... assets.

"I thought that I'd keep you company," she told him.

"Well I'm afraid that you're jus' wasting time you could be spent sleeping," he said, "Nothing really happens on watch. To be honest, I'm ninety five percent sure that this is all a conspiracy to keep me from sleeping."

She laughed and leaned on his shoulder. Sam enjoyed the feeling of her leaning on him in the cool summer night. He closed his eyes and leaned against the metal wall of the tower. He could hear Beth humming softly next to him and he smiled.

When they had been on the road there were very dark times. Times where they would not stop moving for days at a time. It was during those times where Sam would grow slightly depressed. He would wonder what would happen to the group, who would be the first to die. It was not a good time for him. And whenever he would sink to low, Beth would sit beside him and sing to him softly, bringing him back, letting him know that there was something left.

"Since you're not gonna be sleeping, maybe there's something else we can do," Beth whispered into his ear, sending shivers down his spine and making his face go red.

"I-I uh… what?" Beth laughed and turned his face so she could kiss him.

Sam put one hand on the side of her face, brushing her hair back, and deepening the kiss. Sam licked her lips and she opened her mouth letting him slip his tongue inside her mouth. As their session progressed, they began to lose more and more of their clothes until they wore nothing. And soon enough, that guard tower had become Sam's favorite place in the prison.

* * *

Sam wasn't sure why what had happened last night had happened. He wasn't one to complain. And the last thing he wanted to do was over analyze the situation and ruin the moment. It had been amazing, at least for him, he wasn't sure if it had been as pleasurable for Beth. He had heard stories from Michael how boys who had never had sex would only last a few seconds if they were lucky. But to Sam's surprise, and his ego, he had lasted what he considered to be quite a while.

Beth had yet to wake up, so he had taken that as a good sign. What was he supposed to do now? Was he supposed to stroke her hair behind her ear like in the movies? Was he supposed to stare at her longingly until she woke up? _No scratch that, that sounds creepy._

Thankfully he was brought out of his thoughts when Beth began to wake up. _Shit, what do I do? Uh… act natural Sammy!_

Beth opened her eyes and Sam looked into the deep blue pools. He felt his face heat up and he smiled shyly.

"Morning," she said.

"Hey," he told her. "I uh… how are you?"

Beth raised an eyebrow before she broke down into a fit of giggles and Sam, though reluctant and embarrassed, joined in.

"After what we did, you ask how am I?"

"Give me a break, I've never exactly been in this kind of situation before."

"Neither have, I," she pointed out.

"Alright then, I suppose it's my fault for speaking first." He said, "But, uh, ok fuck it, was I alright? I mean, I've never, done this, as I told you before, but was I alright?"

Beth giggled again and Sam felt his stomach drop. He thought that she was laughing at him, that he was a failure as a man for being able to last long. But then his mind went blank when Beth leaned over and kissed him.

"You were fine. With a little practice, you'll be great." _Practice… practice, does that mean that…. Oh! Oh, alright then. I can do that._

* * *

When Carl busted into the Block shouting about Andrea Sam had reached for his rifle prepared for a fight, and from the looks of the others, he wasn't the only one. Rick and Merle had grabbed their rifles as well and Daryl his crossbow. The others grabbed what weapons they could and made their way to the yard.

They moved with what Sam would have thought was military efficiency, ensuring that the woods and hills surrounding the prison were clear before they move up another couple of yards, only to repeat the process.

"Are you alone?" Rick called out to her.

"Open the gates!" Andrea said, her voice filled with panic as the Walkers began to notice her.

"Are you alone?" Rick asked her again.

"Rick!" He paused for a moment but then tossed Daryl the keys. The gate opened and Andrea threw camouflage aside before dashing in.

"Hands up! Turn around!" Rick forced her up the gate and started frisking her. Sam kept his gun up and scanned the tree line again. "I asked if you were alone."

"I am," She answered, her tone laced with disbelief. As if she had expected to receive a warmer welcome after they had been attacked.

"Welcome Back," Rick said after he had searched her.

* * *

"Where's Shane?" Andrea asked after she had been given a brief tour of the outside of the cell block. When no one answered her, she got the idea of what had happened to Shane. "And Lori?"

"She had a girl," Hershel told her. "She didn't survive."

"Neither did T-Dog," Maggie spoke next.

"I'm so sorry. Rick, I-" She began, but Rick looked away from her and took a step back. "You all live here?"

"No, we jus' set up shop," Sam said sarcastically.

"Here and in the cell block," Glenn said quickly, trying to cover Sam's sarcasm.

"There? Can I go in?" She started to make her way to the cell block but Rick cut her off.

"I won't allow that," Rick told her.

"I'm not an enemy, Rick."

"We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up," Rick told her.

"He said you fired first." Sam laughed at that.

"Right, because psychopaths are so reliable."

"He killed an inmate who survived in here," Hershel told her.

"He was my friend," Oscar spoke next. "We had each other's back in here. Your boy just shot him without a thought."

"He was one of us," Daryl told her.

"I didn't know anything about that. As soon as I found out, I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shootout," She tried to defended herself.

"That was days ago," Glenn said.

"I told you, I came as soon as I could," she looked confused and looked at everyone, before turning around to face Michonne angrily. "What have you told them?"

"Nothing," Michonne replied evenly.

"I don't get it, I left Atlanta with you people, and now I'm the odd man out?"

"He almost killed Michonne and he would have killed us!" Glenn shouted at her.

"With his finger on the trigger!" She pointed towards Merle. "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you? Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here to bring us together. We have to work this out-"

"There's nothin' to work out" Rick cut her off. "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will."

"We can settle this" Andrea replied. "There is room at Woodbury for all of you."

Merle laughed. "You know better than that."

"He wouldn' let us stay there. Even if he did, he would slit our throats in our sleep." Sam told her

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" Hershel piped up. "Did he say that?"

"No."

"Then why did you come here?" Rick asked.

"Because he's gearing up for war. The people are terrified, they see you as killers. They're training to attack!"

"I'll tell you what," Daryl sat at the table with his feet propped up, holding his crossbow. "Next time you see Philip, you tell him I'm gonna take his other eye."

"We've taken too much shit for too long, he wants a war, he's got one." Sam smiled a bit at Glenn's statement.

"Rick, if you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna happen. He has a whole town!" She turned around and addressed the rest of the group, nothing but pit and contempt on her face. "Look at you. You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."

"You want to make this right? Get us inside." Rick demanded.

"No."

"Then go," Sam told her. "Run on back, to the Governor. We won' stop you. But you tell him this. He killed out people, he tried to take us out. Tell him, we're comin' for him." Sam turned and began to walk away, as did most of the group.

"There are innocent people!" Sam stopped and turned around. He stormed over to Andrea and got in her face.

"What are we?! What about everyone here?! I know I'm not innocent! I'll be the first to admit it! But what about Judith? What are you all going to attack and kill all of us then raise Judith as an orphan?! What about Sophia? Or Carl?! Are they not innocent?!" He didn't wait for her response.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, so here you all are! Also I have great news, I am now 18! Well not officially, I have two hours when this chapter is posted, but still! So Sam and Beth had sex, not sure on how well I wrote that little scene, if you wanted a lemon then I apologize, I tried writing it and it came out horrible, so I don't think that I'll be writing any, unless someone wants to write them for me. Anyway, what do you guys think? Good, bad? Let me know, please leave a review! ~Pacco1


	15. Good Man

Ch. 15

"What happened there?" Sam looked up from his rifle parts and saw Andrea standing behind him. He was in his cell and wasn't wearing a shirt s his bullet scar was on display.

"I got shot, took a bullet that would've killed Oscar. The slug was aimed right at his heart. When it first happened, I thought it was a dick with a shotgun. Hershel told me that a nine-millimeter round." He looked at Andrea and saw she was looking down at the ground. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just, so much has happened since the farm."

"Yeah well, a lot happened since the fuckin' world ended." Andrea actually laughed at that.

"You got a point about that. I mean-"

"I'm sorry," Sam interrupted her, "When did you think that I was inviting you to have a conversation? I mean, let's drop the act Andrea, you never liked me, and to be honest I don't really like you."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't get you guys. I come here and try to settle things-"

"Settle things? Is that what you think you're doing?" Sam began to put his gun back together. "Andrea, your man came in and shot up the place. Killed one of us, ran a fuckin' van through the gates. And what, you expect us to look past the fact that you're fucking the man that did this, let alone defending him."

"And what about Merle?"

Sam shrugged. "He's good at what he does, just like me."

"And what would that be?" Sam clicked the last piece of the rifle together and sling it over his back as he flashed her a smile.

"Killing."

* * *

"We come in peace! Don't shoot!" Sam aimed the corsairs of his rifle over the man's head and leaned his finger against the trigger, ready to pull at the drop of a hat.

Two men waving white flags stood in the fenced off walkways that surrounded the outer yard. From what they could tell, they had no weapons. One of them was tall, he was the one holding the flag, and the other was short and bald. They shouted how the Governor wanted to negotiate a peace to avoid further bloodshed, where to meet, to come unarmed.

Sam thought that it was bullshit, but apparently Rick wanted to go.

"It's a trap," Sam said as they loaded into the truck.

"We can't be sure," Rick told him.

"Oh right, we can't be sure that the murderous psychopath that had Glenn tortured, terrorized Maggie, and killed Axel-"

"Don't forget keeping his daughter alive and heads in fish tanks," Michonne added,

"Thank you Michonne. You can't expect this to be anything but an ambush, especially since he picked the fuckin' meeting place!"

"It's a risk Sam, but we need to take it. It's either this, or war."

"No, it's always been war. Rick this guy is Mad! Not only that, but he has an army. You can't really think-"

"Enough!" Rick told him. "We're going. You, Glenn, Maggie and Merle will stay here. If we don't make it back, figure out what to do. Either stay or leave, but don't let that bastard get you."

* * *

"You're not going," Glenn told Merle who had a rifle and ammo in a duffle bag ready to go.

"I don't need permission." The man growled out.

"I can't let you."

"You can't stop me."

"If you're gonna live here with us it's gonna be on our terms," Maggie added. "If Michonne can do it, why can't you?"

"Cause it's my brother out there, that's why. What's the matter with y'all?" He turned around and climbed the stairs only to face Glenn.

"I'm not gonna let you put them in danger." Glenn said coldly.

"They're already in danger Glenn," Sam told him. "You really think that this guy is gonna play fair?"

"It's a negotiation-"

"It's a feel out!" Sam yelled as he slammed his fists on one of the metal tables. "Remember Dave and Tony? They were feeling us out. Seeing how confident we were, if we had the numbers to defend ourselves if it came down to it. And the fact that Rick went shows that we aren't prepared for war! Merles right. We should hit him now, when he's least expecting it."

"It's not right!" Merle and Sam scoffed at Glenn's remark.

"Who, ever won a war by doing what was right?"

"Nut up already, boy." Merle stood next to Sam. "This guy cops a feel of your woman and you pussy out like this? Get out of my way!"

"No."

Merle lunged at Glenn who backed up and quickly returned the blow. Oscar and Sam were quick to move in as the two brawling men tumbled to the floor. Sam wrapped his arm around Merles neck while Oscar grabbed Glenn by his arms and pulled him back. They continued to yell at each other while Sam and Oscar tried to keep them secure. There was the sound of a gunshot and all of them froze and looked to where Beth was standing with a revolver raised and a pissed off completion.

"Let me go!" Merle said as he tried to get to his feet. Sam released the man slowly and much to his relief, didn't go after Glenn again.

People split up, Glenn going off to keep watch, and Maggie a little while after him. Merle kept to himself as usual, Michonne did whatever it was that she did, and Oscar followed Carol, Judith, Sophia, and Carl back to the cellblock, leaving Sam and Beth alone in the commune.

"Well that was intense," Sam said.

"Did you mean it? Wanting to go and kill that guy?"

Sam paused and nodded slowly. "I did."

"Why?"

"Because that's all I really know how to do. I was never good at anything. My da' would scream and swear. Call me good for nothing. He was right though. My grades were crap, didn' have a job, no athletic ability. And then the world ends. And then suddenly I'm good at something. Killing. And I didn' know how to process that. So, I separated it. When I was killing, I wasn't me, I was something else, and it's been hard to tell who I am nowadays. Especially now that all this is happening."

Beth hugged him and Sam slowly returned it.

He liked how he didn't have to lie to her. How he could tell her about the atrocities he had committed, and yet while she had been frightened at first, she still cared for him. Despite all of the shit, she was still by his side, while others had branded him a monster.

"Look at me Sam. You did bad things, but you've made up for them. You saved Sophia, you tried to stop Shane when he tried to open the barn. You saved me! You didn't even know me, and you still tried helping me. Gave me the wakeup call that I needed. Without you I would be dead. Daddy would be dead. You are not a bad man Samuel Conall." She kissed him and Sm felt some of the self-loathing leave his body. Another thing he realized about the apocalypse, it was probably one of the better things to happen to him.

* * *

"So, I met this Governor. Sat with him for quite a while." Rick told the group.

"Just the two of ya?" Merle asked to which Rick nodded. "Shoulda gone when we had the chance, bro."

"He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead. For what we did to Woodbury. We're goin' to war."

Sam hated how he got butterflies when he said that.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, so here is the next installment I know it's shorter than usual, and I apologize. So I've been planning out the story and I have things planned out all the way up until Beth's death in Season five, not entirely sure how I'm gonna handle that, she may die, she way not, I'll have to weigh the pro's and cons of it all. Anyway, please leave a review, I absolutely love them and won't post the next chapter until I get five... Just kidding, could you imagine if I was like that. Man that would suck. Ok, I'll see you next time! ~Pacco1


	16. A Trade

Ch. 16

"We got any whisky?" Merle asked as he walked into the dining area. "Hell, I'd even drink vodka."

"Go to hell, Merle," Carol told him without looking up from what she was doing. "Are you with us?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

"I'm not talking about occupying the same space," she finished loading a revolver and spun the cylinder. "Are you with us?"

"I'm here for my brother," Sam nodded at the answer. It wasn't something a man like Merle would lie about. Anything else was up for debate, but family? No, that was sacred to him

"Well he's here for us. It's not time to do shots, it's time to pick a damn side."

He laughed. "You ain't like you was back in the camp. A little mouse runnin' around, scared of her own shadow."

"It wasn't my shadow, it was my husband's," Sam felt a bit uncomfortable listening in on their conversation.

"Well you don't seem scared of nothin' anymore."

"I'm not."

"You're a late bloomer."

"Maybe you are, too."

"You, Paddy! I don't remember you."

"You shouldn't. I didn't meet up with the group until the farm," Sam explained.

Merle nodded. "You know, after the fighting had died down a little. Andrea told everyone about you. How she saw you. How she managed to clip you in the shoulder. But most of all, she told up about what you'd done. People were real angry about that. Wanted your blood as much as me an' my brothers. What she said about you, people don't forget that kinda shit easy, you understand?"

Sam raised an eyebrow but just nodded slowly, instead of saying anything.

* * *

Sam felt groggy when he woke up. His head was pounding and the light was too bright. The sound of a motor running let him know that he was at least safe from Walkers and on the move. But it still didn't answer where he was.

"Well lookie here Michonne! Looks like sleeping beauty's waking up!" _Is that Merle?_

"What the bloody hell?" Sam slurred, his head pounding as he sat up. "Where am I?"

He heard Merle laugh and someone scoffed. "Take it easy kid. I slipped some pills in yer drink, should wear off soon."

"What the fuck, why?"

"Governor wants you and Michonne. This man, brutal and damn psychotic as he is, sure s smart."

"Why does he want Sam," he recognized the voice as Michonne.

"Cause of Andrea. She didn't waste any time in telling people what kinda man he was. They think he was behind the whole thing. So, he gets to publicly execute him, and do whatever he wants to you."

 _Well shit,_ Sam thought as he tried to move his hands, only to find them bound together with cable.

"Why you bring us to him then?" Sam asked, trying to buy time so he could loosen the cable.

"Cause Rick won't. Shit he thought about it, he said so himself, but he's weak, he won't go through with it. The Old Man, Hershel, said no as soon as yer name came up, he must like you or somethin'," Merle laughed as he swerved out of the way of a Walker.

"Makes sense," Sam said as he finally felt the drugs wear off. "I suppose this was part of a peace pact? It was, and you deliver us to The Governor? You do? Well I for one, never took you for an idiot Merle."

"What do you mean?" He growled out.

"You really think he'll let you live. Even if he paints me as the mastermind, he's still gonna kill you. You, made him look weak, you undermined him, he's not gonna let that go. In my group Michael killed people for less. You think this psychopaths gonna let you go?" Merle stayed quiet, and then Michonne began to speak.

"You said you killed 16 men since this thing started? You ever kill anyone before?"

"No," Merle replied.

"And how about before Woodbury? Before you met him?" Merle shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "Huh. So, he saved your life, cleaned you up, fed you a line of bullshit. Why would you kill somebody else for him? You know, we can go back."

Merle chuckled. "Ain't happenin'."

"All of us." She explained. "We can just go back." She was trying to sound brave, and for the most part succeeded, but Sam could hear the underlying desperation.

Merle's face dropped a little and he viciously shook his head before he spoke. "I can't go back; don't you understand that? I can't."

She frowned, her eyes never leaving his busy ones. "Why?" She asked him before he slammed his foot on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop.

He leaned over to her and cut off the wire that bounded her hands before doing the same for Sam. "Go back. The two of ya'. Get ready for what's next. I got somethin' I gotta do on my own."

"No." Sam said. Merle and Michonne both looked his way in confusion. "You're coming with us. A rifle, a silencer. It's a suicide mission isn' it? Don't do it. You wanna kill the Governor, you wanna, destroy him? You don't do that by putting a bullet in him, or shoving a piece of glass in his eye. You destroy all that he's built, and when he's nothin' that's when you kill him. Anything else is jus' helping him along. It's just getting his people ready for war, to kill us. And we don't need that. Come with us Merle, help us, bring that son of a bitch down"

* * *

Sam led the way, swinging his machete to clear the brush for them. The high fences and stone structures of the Prison loomed just over the trees. He could practically feel his back relax on his bed. But then the cruel reality of it all came back to him. He still needed to get inside the prison, avoid all of the sentries and get into the recently repaired front gate. _Son of a Bitch._

"Almost there," he said. "Try not to kill any of the Walkers if you can avoid it."

"Why?" Michonne asked as she drew her sword.

"Why do ya' think? These dead bastards are our vanguard," Merle said as he rested his rifle on his shoulder. "People from Woodbury aren' very accustomed to seeing the abominations, so havin' them around will help us out some."

"Exactly, but they won't do much psychological warfare if their fucking dead, will they?" Sam said as they neared the outer gate, a few Walkers taking notice.

"Daryl, you and Merle go first, Michonne and I 'll follow. My heads still fucked up from those goddamn drugs. What the fuck did you give me?"

"Ambien," he told him, "I needed some help sleeping when I first got to Woodbury, had some left over."

"What you just carried 'em in your goddamn pockets?" Daryl asked as they neared the gate, Michonne swiped her sword and killed one of the Walkers.

"Didn't like my room. Felt trapped, so I needed to be able to sleep anywhere. So, I kept 'em with me."

They made it through the gates and ran for the inner yard. Maggie and Glenn were rushing to the gates as well. Glenn fumbled with the keys a bit but unlocked the gate and threw it open urging the group forward.

Sam pumped his legs avoiding the outreaching hands of the dead, as did the others. Michonne listened to Sam and Merle's advice and refrained from chopping off too many heads, although if Sam was completely honest, they would probably have their ranks refiled by the end of the night.

As soon as they were all through and Glenn had locked the gate the fur runners rested their hands on their knees and took deep breathes. Slowly Sam began to laugh, as he realized that he and the others had run through a field that was infested with Walkers and come out alive, without killing that many of them.

"We… we did it!" He laughed, standing up. "Oh fuck, that was pretty cool."

"I guess we did huh," Merle said as he chuckled a bit. "Man, it still wasn't as crazy as- "

Merle stopped talking when Glenn socked him in the face and sent him crashing to the floor.

"You son of a bitch!" Glenn shouted. "You tried to give Sam and Michonne to the Governor!"

"Glenn stop," Sam grabbed his shoulder, "He didn't."

"He was going to!"

"But he didn't! Look you want to try and kick his airse now, while we have a madman with an army on our doorstep, or do you want to deal with said madman and then beat the living shite out of each other?"

Sam stormed off, wanting to see Rick and Beth, preferably in that order. He wanted to yell at someone then spend time with the girl that he loved.

As if fate was on his side once, Rick was standing in the commissary area looking over a map of the prison. He was alone, which would make his little fit a bit more appropriate.

"Rick," Sam said as he walked down the stairs, his boots making loud thumps as he went down.

"Sam, look I couldn't— "

"Shut up," he snapped. "You couldn't go through with it? I'm not mad that you couldn't go through with-it Rick. I'm fucking pissed that you even considered it! That you didn't even think about the fact that he's a fucking mad man that would have executed me, and done god knows what to Michonne! I mean, Jaysus Rick! You thought about handing me over. Me! I've killed for this group, I've run into gunfire, I took a fucking bullet to save Oscar, and what? You would've just thrown me to the wolves? Fuck you."

Sam walked away, ignoring Rick shouting for him to come back so he could explain himself. But he would hear none of it. How could Rick claim to have the groups best interests in mind but he would have just handed Sam over to a complete psycho. A man that literally had heads in fish tanks.

Sam had thought that they stuck together, they had. All throughout the winter they had kept together, watching each other's backs. And now, first sign of trouble, Rick considers trading him. It was bullshit to him. He thought that he was considered a voluble member of the group. But apparently Rick thought he was expendable.

But another voice in his head told him a different story. It told him that Rick was simply considering the entire group, and he didn't actually go through with it. What would Sam have done if he was in charge and the entire group was at risk and if they sacrificed one two people in order to save the rest. would he have taken it? If Sophia, if Beth could survive? Maybe, but no to the Governor. Not to a complete psychopath,

Sam turned into his cell and Saw Beth sitting with Judith, her back to the entrance of the cell. He could hear her sniffling, and her hand moved to her face before coming away. He could see the faint wet stains. Judith fussed and Beth gently rocked the newborn, making soft shushing noises to calm her.

Sam took soft slow steps toward her. He dropped his weapon belt, as quietly as he could, making only a few soft clicking noises that were barely noticeable to her as she focused on Judith.

He walked behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She tensed and gasped before turning around quickly. Her eyes were red and tear stains went down her cheeks.

"Hey, Beth," He said softly, a small smile playing on his face. "Sorry if I scared you a bit, Merle kinda kidnapped me."

Beth smiled and kissed him softly. She pulled back quickly and looked down at Judith. She stood up and walked out of the cell, leaving Sam there by himself, confused as to where she had gone. He heard Sophia shout 'Sure' and then quick footsteps.

He was about to go out of the cell and find Beth, when she reappeared in front of the cell entrance. She closed the curtain that she had put up and practically jumped on him, her lips crashing onto his. Sam leaned back onto the bad and Beth laid on top of him.

"I thought Merle gave you to the Governor," She whispered in between kisses.

"I talked him down," Sam told her. He kissed her once more, the two of them enjoying he feeling of the kiss, the simplicity and intimacy of the action something that the two of them enjoyed so much. "I love you."

Beth stopped and looked into Sam's eyes. She saw the truth behind the statement, the love in his eyes. Unlike when she had been with Jimmy. His eyes had been filled with only lust and were never matching hers. His eyes would always be on her chest, or lower still. But Sam's eyes met hers, there was lust, but there was also love, just like in her eyes.

Beth smiled and kissed him once more. "I love you too."

* * *

AN: Alright here is the next chapter, hope you guys enjoyed it. I wasn't exactly sure on what I should do for this chapter so I hope you guys can forgive any minor things or even the pacing, I thought it might have been a little off. Other than that please leave a review and the next chapter will be the battle for the prison. ~Pacco1


	17. Spring the Trap

Ch. 17

Carl was scowling fiercely as he carried a bag out to the truck. Sam could understand the feeling. He understood what the boy was going through. He had a bloodlust, but not like Sam's or anyone else's. His was more of a curious bloodlust. He wanted to know what it was like to kill. Sam was just glad that he wasn't being allowed to stay, he would just put the rest of the fighters in danger.

Rick carried Judith out, then Sophia and Carol followed him out, their things packed up. It was a somber mood over the prison. Sam had Beth's revolver in his hand, absentmindedly spinning the chamber, enjoying the _whizzzzz click_. He could die, others could die, a lot of the Governor's people would die, that much was guaranteed. They had home field advantage, narrow corridors and automatic weapons.

At least, that was what Sam had thought. Rick had told them that they would all try their best not to kill any of the civilians. Merle had agreed to point out any of the Lieutenants, those they could kill, but only if they had a clear shot. Other than that, all members of the Woodbury army were off limits.

"So how do you think this is gonna go down?" Sam hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to Michonne. Even when they had been kidnapped together, he didn't say much other than " _This way!_ " or " _Over here!_ " It was a quiet and unspoken relationship, one that she had just ruined.

"Only way it can," Sam walked over to the fence by the field and examined it. He was going into what Beth had begun to call one of his " _General Moments_ ". "They've tear down the gates, ram through them, then they'll start firing blindly at the prison. After that it'll be a slow push forward, literally, they'll all be shiteing themselves, so they'll move slower than usual. They'll move into the prison, and then we'll spring the trap."

"And if the trap doesn't work?"

"Then we fight them. I don't care what Rick said, I'll get back to Beth, if it means I need to kill one of those people, so be it."

* * *

Sam wiped the sweat from his brow, careful not to move the gun so he wouldn't make any noise. The gunfire had ended just a few seconds ago. He could hear the footsteps passing by, he wasn't even hiding that well, they were simply that inexperienced, walking by corners and going straight for the confined spaces with hunting rifles and automatics they barely knew how to operate.

When they had all piled into the cell block, Sam was the first to move. He crept across the inner yard, Oscar sticking close and low. Sam went up to one of the Humvees that they had brought, the one with the .50 caliber machine gun, and climbed on top. The gun was still warm, and the ammo box still had a decent number of bullets.

"What are you doing? Smash that thing!" Oscar told him, his gun raised in the direction of the prison.

"No," Sam said as he fiddled with the gun. He dug into the working parts as quickly as he cold, until he pulled something out with a grin. "Firing pin. Are the tires popped?"

Oscar nodded. "Yeah now come on!"

Sam hopped out of the truck and slung his rifle over his shoulder. "Ammo boxes in the back of the cars, grab 'em, quick!"

The two men went to work and grabbed the heavy boxes lugging them across the field and to the far side. When the gunfire and alarms went off Sam and Oscar both dove to the ground. The Woodbury Militia began pouring out of the Block, men and women screaming in fear, some of them dropping their weapons and making for the trucks.

Sam saw The Governor screaming for his people to get off the trucks and into the fight, but they were routed, retreating and no amount of manipulation would overturn their instincts. Sam saw the Governor standing with his loyal men in the center of the field and made to raise his rifle. All he would need to do is line up his shot and then _Bang_ , it would all be over.

The civilians started up their trucks and got out. The Governor shouted for his men to follow him and the three of them ran for their car. Sam took a knee and aimed. Almost, almost, he couldn't mess it up. His finger leaned on the trigger, he was about to take the shot.

"What are you doing?" scar asked, grabbing the rifle and forcing it down. "You trying to get us killed?"

The Governor got into his car and he and his three men got in chasing after his retreating men.

"Goddamnit! I could have killed him!" Sam slung his rifle over his shoulder and stood. "Why didn' you let me take the shot?"

"You would have gotten us killed!"

"No, I would have shot the Governor, and probably one of the others, if you had reacted properly, we could've killed all of 'em!"

"Listen man, I get that you probably got some sort of fucked up bloodlust, but don't let me get killed because of it!"

Sam scoffed and walked toward the inner yard. How could Oscar be so short sighted. The Governor wasn't done, he would lick his wounds rally his men and they would attack again. Without the Governor, they were broken, leaderless and not one of them would pick up a rifle to attack the prison.

* * *

Beth wrapped her arms around Sam when she got out of the car. She was shaking and Sam noticed the grim look on Carl's face, the fearful one on Hershel's, and the shock that was written all over Sophia's face.

"What happened?" He whispered to her.

"It was Carl. A boy came out of the woods. The rest of us didn't know what to do. Carl just, he just shot him though. He didn't even seem like he cared too," Beth pulled out of the hug and looked Sam in the eyes. "I know that you told me what you did. I asked you, and then you asked me how much I wanted to hear, I said all of it. And you did. Promise me, that you won't be like what Carl was today. You won't kill a man and feel nothing. Promise me."

Sam felt his heart rate quicken. Carl had shot a boy in cold blood. Something he had done to many times. He knew the path Carl was going down. He had tried to encourage him to open up, not bottle things up, but he hadn't listened. He just kept bottling it up, wanting to prove himself capable, and so he had killed a man.

Sam had been down that road. And now, with the Governor, he had almost fallen back in. He had contemplated killing manipulated people, he had almost gotten himself and Oscar killed because of it. He was falling into his old habits, because he didn't want to adapt.

"I promise you, I'll change. I will."

* * *

AN: Ok people, short chapter and probably a bit disappointing, but let me explain. The battle at the prison wasn't every exiting, I know,but I wanted to get that as close as I could to the show, also, Sam wasn't very close to Andrea, so I didn't show the return to Woodbury since it was mainly just them crying over her body, Sam wouldn't have done that. So I just ended it with him promising Beth that he wouldn't go full emotionless killer like he was during the beginning of the outbreak, and during the battle of Woodbury. Other than that, I apologize for the short chapter, they will start to get normal size next chapter. Please Review and I'll see you all next time! ~Pacco1


	18. Fire Sale!

Ch. 18

The morning sun nearly blinded Sam as he stepped out into the inner yard. The patio that they had constructed already packed, Sam groaned and kicked himself for thinking that he could sleep in. Oh, it had been a glorious idea at the time, soft pillow, soft bed that he had gotten on a run for him and Beth, beautiful girlfriend. But now, all the good seats were taken, and the food was practically all gone. Bad idea long term, good one short term, story of his life.

"Sam, over here!" Sam saw Oscar sitting on his own two bowls of whatever the hell the kitchen crew had cooked up in front of him.

"Oscar, please tell me that is for me," Sam grinned and he and the former inmate shook hands. Over the past three months the two of them had gotten close, the two of them going out on runs together, keeping the group stocked with essentials. Sam was pretty sure that the two of them, as well as Oscar were considered the Heroes of the group. Though Daryl did get most of the attention. Which was fine with the two of them, both Oscar and Sam enjoyed anonymity due to their, colorful, past.

"That's for you. I managed to swipe a bowl before most of it was gone,"

"Thank Christ. I thought I was going to have to go out and hunt for my own," Sam grinned as he began to dig into his food.

"What about Beth?"

"Hershel already got her something. Old man laughed when I asked if he got me anything. You believe that?"

Oscar laughed and finished off his food, "Yeah I do. I'm surprised that he's alright with you and Beth sharing a cell. Glenn and Maggie too-"

"Actually, they got a guard tower, which is bullshite."

"Point still stands. If that were my little girl, I woulda killed you."

Sam nodded and took a spoonful of food, rice and venison. "True, but he wasn' always the pious man that he is now. He was a drinker."

Oscar paused when he heard that. "You're shitting me?"

"I swear. He doesn't really hide it, it probably jus' doesn' come up in conversation."

"Never woulda thought." Sam nodded and went back to eating. It had become routine for the two of them to sit down and have a conversation in the morning before it was time to work. It helped keep them grounded, and a little sane. While Sam did have Beth to talk to, and he did, she hadn't seen some of the crazy shit that he had, Oscar could relate to all of it, and it helped, he was still, relatively, sane.

"What's on the Agenda for today?" Sam asked.

"Sasha and Daryl organized a run, we're gonna move on it today."

"Who's going?"

"Daryl, Sasha, Glenn, Ty, you, me. A few others if we get volunteers." Sam nodded. It was a solid crew. The lack of people would mean that it would take a little longer but, it was still manageable.

"Hopefully we can get just a few more. Make the day go a bit faster. I fuckin' hate being out after dark."

"Well don't worry boys, I'll be joining in on the fun," Sam looked over and rolled his eyes when he saw one of the newer arrivals boasting like he was. His name was Zack and ever since the little prick had gotten turned down by Beth, due to the fact that they were together he had made it his personal mission to try to discredit and make himself seem better than Sam.

Sam thought it was far too high school, but he instead liked to use Daryl's new phrase. It was like a damn romance novel. Sam and Beth were fine, but the little prick was just annoying as hell. One of the things that made the apocalypse suck, Sam supposed.

"How many days has it been?" Oscar asked as Zack stood to leave. "Since our last ' _incident_ '?"

"'bout thirty days. Why?"

"Pretty sure that kids gonna bring us to zero."

* * *

"I'd like to start pulling my weight around here!" Sam looked over and smiled at Bob's enthusiasm. He'd been brought in a week ago, he had complained that he didn't have anything to do, and while it annoyed some, practically everyone who would like nothing more than to do nothing, Sam liked how he was so eager to help.

"Bob it's only been a week," Sasha began.

"That's a week's worth of meals, roof over my head. Let me earn my keep," he asked her.

"You were out on your own when Daryl and Sam found you," Sasha began.

"That's right."

"I just want to make sure that you know how to play on a team,"

"Come on, we're not even gonna hit the place unless it's an easy grab," Sam said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"You know he was a medic in the army," Glenn said on Bob's behalf.

"Let's just get to it! Come on y'all we're burning daylight!" Merle came out of the block and slammed the trunk of the car closed. "Paddy Reilly, you're driving!"

"It's Samuel Conall Merle, and you're bloody right I am. Oscar you're shotgun!"

* * *

The Big Spot parking lot was deserted. Most of the tents were so messy that finding anything of use would take time that they didn't have, at least with the small group that they had at the moment.

They went to the front of the store and Daryl banged on the glass telling the others to give it a second.

Sam saw Zack standing off to the side, holding his shotgun in a way that made him a bit nervous. "Okay I think I got it."

"Son of a bitch," Sam and Merle muttered at the same time.

"Got what?" Michonne asked.

"I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn."

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Sam asked Oscar and Merle. "The Turn?"

"I don' give a shit," Merle muttered.

"He's been trying to guess for a couple weeks," Daryl told Michonne.

"Yeah well I'm pacing myself. One shot a day."

"Aright shoot."

"Well the way you are at the prison-"

"Oh, this boy better not say what I think he is," Merle said.

"You being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of… surly. Big swing here. Homicide cop." Sam bit on his tongue to keep himself from laughing to hard. Merle smiled and let out a few chuckles while Daryl remained stoic as ever.

"What's so funny?" He asked the group.

"Nothing," Michonne said. "It makes perfect sense."

"Actually, the man's right-"

"Shut up little brother!" Merle laughed. "You weren't no cop! Hell, if you was a cop, I was the goddamn Mayor!" Merle could barely finish that sentence before he broke down laughing again.

Walkers appeared in the glass front of the store and everyone rose to their feet.

"We gonna do this detective?" Michonne asked.

"Let's do it!"

They dispatched the walkers easily enough. The combination of Sam's machete, Michonne's swords, and Merle's prosthetic arm were a formidable combination.

Sasha gave the orders, mainly for Bob's sake, and the group nodded their heads, ready to go to work.

* * *

Sam strolled through the store, his eyes searching high and low for anything that the group might need. He was just outside of the pharmacy, Oscar was going through the behind the counter medications while he stood watch. The over the counters were all pretty basic. Tylenol, Nyquil, what Sam's mom would call his Uncle Benadryl. He loaded the cart with them and walked around the rest of the section. Tampons: take. Toilet paper: definitely take. Condoms: put as many as you can in your jacket pocket. Other than those, his grocery shopping was just about done.

"Oscar, you alright mate?"

"Fine. Hey you think they'll miss a few Oxy's? Axel would roll in his grave if I didn't take a few for him."

Sam laughed and began rolling his cart towards the exit. "It's fine just do it on your leisure time."

"My man!"

There was a loud crash and Sam had his rifle raised in an instant. There was shouting, Sasha yelled that they were in Wine and Beer, and Sam was immediately thankful that he had gotten his whiskey before the commotion had started.

There was another crash and just as Sam and Oscar had rounded the corner the roof caved and a Walker fell through the floor. It got caught on a piece of metal and hung from the ceiling by its own intestines.

"Oh, that's not good," Sam said as another area of roof caved in and another Walker fell through. "Fuck, get him out of there!"

Sam, Oscar and Merle raised their rifles immediately ad began firing at the Walkers as they fell through. Holes began opening in the ceiling that it became harder and harder to see ceiling. The three shooters were holding their own but the sporadic placement of the Walkers made it hard for them to keep their fire concentrated.

Sam went through half of his clip when he realized that his machine gun wouldn't do much good in that situation. He slung it on his back and unsheathed his machete. He swung into a Walker in front of him splitting its skull in half. He repeated the process on another Walker and then tapped Oscar and Merle on the shoulders motioning them to follow him.

They ran through the store, careful as to where they stepped, avoiding Walkers and Blood wherever they could. There was a loud screeching noise and Sam looked at the roof and saw a fucking helicopter coming through it.

"Oh my god, did no one do any fuckin' recon?!" He swung his machete again severing a head with one clean stroke.

Daryl and Zack had gotten to Bob and managed to get him out from under the fallen self. Only Sam Saw Zack screaming, then he looked down and saw that a Walker had bitten into his leg, then it pulled him down and bit into his neck.

Sam aimed with his rifle and shot the Walker. Then a second shot sounded and Sam saw that Merle had sent a bullet into Zacks head.

"Shite," Sam swore. Then the helicopter finally tore the roof down and crushed the store.

The ride back was quiet. It was understandable. They had just lost someone, as well as some of the haul. It made the death feel as if it was just for nothing. Beth was going to be disappointed, thirty days was the best streak that the group had.

* * *

When they returned, the excitement of those in the prison quickly died down when they had learned of Zacks demise. The supplies were taken with the knowledge that a man had died for the group to get them. Sam may not have liked the guy, but no one deserved to go out like that, eaten by Walkers. Sam couldn't even imagine the pain.

He slowly walked to his and Beth's cell. When he arrived, Beth was writing in her journal, something Sam was not allowed to see. Their cell had improved over the months. Sam had managed to scavenge a larger bed, enough to give them a decent amount of room in the cell as well as spread out a bit.

"Hey," he said drawing her attention.

"Sammy!" She was the only one that he wouldn't get mad at for calling him that. She kissed him softly and pulled back. "How'd the run go?"

"It was, eventful. We uh… we lost Zack. he got bit. I shot the Walker, Merle put him out."

Beth nodded. "Okay." She went to the small board she had made from cardboard and took the three off of the sign which now read _'This Workplace has gone 0 days without an incident'_.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"Aye I am, but... I won't lie, I never liked the prick, mainly because he wouldn't stop flirting with ya'. But I don't like losing people. Never really got used to it."

She kissed him again. "Don't."

* * *

AN: Hey guys! Wow it's late and I am tired but I had to write this! Anyway... I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I am very excited to start this season and I hope you guys enjoy the ride! Please review and I'll see you all next time! ~Pacco1


	19. The Return of the Governor

Ch. 19

AN: Okay so don't get mad at me, but I'm actually going to be skipping over the whole sickness part other than what I have already done. Why you ask? Well because whenever I try writing it I just keep drawing blanks for what happens. So, I'll just give you guys a brief view on what happened. Oscar, and Merle went with Daryl and the others who went for the medicine. Neither Sam nor Beth got sick and Rick did throw Carol out still despite Sophia being alive.

If you were looking forward to the sickness plot line then once again I apologize. Anyway, here you are!

* * *

Sam hauled the bodies to the trailer along with Oscar and Michonne. It was a bit depressing having to lug bodies out onto a trailer again. Though Sam guessed that burning all of them would mean less work for him, less graves to dig.

Michonne and Hershel drove off in the truck to do the burning while Sam went with Daryl as Rick said that he needed to speak to the two of them. Sam had to admit that Rick was acting a bit suspicious, he led them to the tombs, kept looking over his shoulder as if he was worried that the three of them were being followed.

And when he spoke, Sam knew why.

"I kicked Carol out." Sam and Daryl stopped and looked at the man. They weren't sure whether the man was joking or serious.

"Sorry?' Sam said.

"Carol, she told me that she killed Karen and David. Said that she wanted to stop whatever it was from spreading." Daryl paced and shook his head.

"Man, you couldn't have waited 'till we got back?" He whispered harshly at the former sheriff.

"Until Tyreese got back?" Rick asked, his head tilted like he always did.

"We could've handled it," Sam told him.

"She killed two of our own."

"She had daughter! Three is you count Lizzie and Mika!" Sam said louder than he should have. "What do we tell them? Sorry we kicked your mum out!"

"I don't know. But she knew what could have happened. I had no choice." rick paused and looked to Daryl. "She's gonna be alright. She had a car, supplies, weapons. She's a survivor."

"Stop sayin' that like you don't believe it!" Daryl growled out at Rick.

"She did it, she said it was for us. That's how it was in her head. She wasn't sorry."

"Why should she have been? She was doing it to keep it from spreading, to keep her daughter safe, to keep the ones in her charge safe. Would you have done any different?" Sam shook his head. "What about Sophia and the other two?"

"Carol asked if you could look after Sophia," Rick said. "She said that Sophia looked up to you."

"She knows I've killed people and I taught her how to play Poker, not a great role model."

Rick ignored him. "I told her we'd look after Mika and Lizzie. I haven't told Tyreese yet. I don't know how he's gonna take it."

"Let's go find out," Daryl said.

"You two go ahead. I have a little girl I need to talk to."

* * *

Sophia was in the library looking through the pieces of classic literature when Sam found her. She was so engrossed that she didn't even seem to notice when Sam walked in. He could see her looking through an old Sherlock Holmes book, "A Study in Scarlet" if he wasn't mistaken.

"Sophia," he whispered. The girl let out a small gasp and turned quickly dropping the book.

"Sammy!" she screamed as she ran and hugged him. "I found a new book! Did you know that John Watson was in the Army, and that Sherlock Holmes doesn't know what the Solar system looks like? Or that-" she continued to list off several facts about Sherlock Holmes that Sam had never known before finally calming down.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I, well, did Rick talk to you?" She nodded.

"He told me that she was on a really long run. And that she wanted you to take care of me while she was gone." _Fuck you Rick. Making me tell her that her mom's gone._

"Well, I am going to be taking care of you. But you see, your mom is-" there was a loud explosion. The building shook and Sam reached for his pistol. He told Sophia to go and find the other kids and to get them somewhere safe before he made for the courtyard.

Most of the others were there already and when Sam was close enough to see the field below, his heart almost stopped beating.

"Rick! Come down here! We need to talk!" IT seemed that the Governor was back.

"Well fuck me."

"It's not up to me!" Rick shouted down. "There's a council now! They run this place!"

"Is Hershel on the council?"

"No," Sam whispered as they dragged the one-legged old man out of a truck and forced him onto his knees. "What about Michonne?" The Governor carried on. "Is she on the council, too?" The brought Michonne over to where Hershel knelt.

"I don't make decisions anymore!" Rick shouted across the yard.

"You're making the decisions today, Rick!" The Governor told him, his voice very condescending. "Come down here and let's have that talk!"

Rick looked to Daryl who gave him a small nod in return. Then he turned around to where Carl was standing to give him a few quiet words of encouragement before opening the gate and making his way over to speak to the Governor.

"We can't take 'em all on," Daryl whispered as he looked over the convoy. "We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned. We ain't got the numbers no more. When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"

"Day before we hit the big spot," Sasha replied told him. "We were running low on rations then, we're lower now."

"Yeah, we'll manage. Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everyone know."

Rick and the Governor continued to talk and Sam looked at Daryl and gave a sharp whistle. Daryl looked over and Sam nodded his head over to the stash of guns that they had. Without saying a word Daryl and Sam both moved over and grabbed their rifles and began passing the others out. Beth took hers and Sam whispered to her that everything would be fine. Beth gave him a quick smile and nodded.

"You remember how it works?"

"Yeah, I just could never really keep it steady."

"If fighting breaks out, get to some cover and use it to support the gun." She nodded and Sam saw that the others were reading their rifles. The others were loading into the bus but those that had been knocking on death's door were having trouble getting in.

"I'll be back," Sam said as he went to help, but Beth grabbed his arm.

"Stay. Please? If we do fight, we need you here." Sam looked back and saw that the stronger sick people were helping the others and the children were making their way over. Sam spotted Sophia with Lizzie and Mika, telling them what they needed to do for the evacuation.

"Okay. I'll stay, but you are next to me the entire time, stay to cover, don't take unnecessary risks."

"Anything else."

Sam couldn't help himself. "Don't die."

Sam looked through the scope and could see Rick practically pleading with the Governor not to fight. For a second Sam thought that it might work, the Sword lowered from Hershel's throat. Sam lowered his gun and looked around. Everyone seemed to be shocked that the Governor of all people was listening to reason. But their hoped were slashed, just as Hershel's was.

"No!" Sam screamed as he hoisted his rifle up and began firing.

Beth and Maggie began to cry but Beth began firing anyway, even if her shots were wide and inaccurate the sound of whizzing bullets could make someone retreat, or at least keep them from advancing. But then he remembered that they had a fucking tank. It advanced through the fences letting the other vehicles flood in through the gap.

"Beth, we need to go!" Sam ejected his empty clip, slamming a new one in. Beth lowered her rifle and the two of them ran for the better fortifications of the prisons walls. Several of the Governor's men reached the fences and stormed in. Sam raised his rifle and sent of burst of bullets to them, only dropping two out of the five that had come in. they turned their attention to him and fired forcing him to duck behind the small bit of cover he and Beth had found.

Several gunshots drew his attention. After those shots, the cover he and Beth were hiding behind stopped getting peppered by bullets. He and Beth peaked their heads and saw Tyreese standing over the bodies with his rifle aimed at the gate in case more of the Governor's soldiers came through.

Sam got up and pulled Beth to her feet. "We gotta go!"

"Sammy!" Sam turned and saw Sophia running toward them.

"Soph! Are you alrigh'?"

"Fine! Where do we go? The bus left! Mr. Merle and Oscar are gone-"

"Gone?!" Sam felt panic flood his body.

"They went into the woods after the bus!" _Alive_. "Have you seen anyone else?"

"No, Soph I haven't. Come on!" Sam grabbed her and put her on his back telling her to hold on tight. Together the three of them left the prison, and into the woods.

* * *

AN: Okay so I know it's not the best, but I have been extremely busy with college and I just haven't had the time for this story, but I am balancing things out so be ready for more chapters! Please leave a review and once again I am sorry for not putting the sickness story line in there, every time I tried writing it it came out horrible. Review! Pacco1


	20. Worst Beer Run Ever

Ch. 20

Sam's feet pounded against the dirt, his face dripping with sweat as he adjusted Sophia on his back. She whimpered as a Walker reached out for her but Sam brought his machete down onto its head splitting it in half. Beth led them through the forest, her  
knife plunging into the skulls of any Walker that came in front of her.

As they came to a clearing they both dropped to the ground in exhaustion. Sam gasped for air and wiped the sweat from his eyes. He could see Beth on her back, trying to regain her composure as he heard more Walkers closing in. They looked at each other  
and nodded grimly, then, they began running again. They ran until night, stopping in a dense part of the forest, making sure that they put enough noise traps so a Walker, or person couldn't sneak up on them without their knowledge.

Though they were all absolutely tired, neither Beth nor Sam could sleep. Sophie though, she was out like a light, her head resting on Sam's lap. He stroked her hair absentmindedly, trying to keep his thoughts off of what they had just been through. Beth  
looked into the fire, her knife stuck in a piece of wood and her gun holstered on her belt.

"We should do something," Beth said aloud, Sam heard her but felt too tired to even respond. "We should do something. We aren't the only survivors. We can't be. Rick, Michonne could have made it out. Maggie and Glenn could have made it out of A-Block."

"I know," Sam finally found his voice. "There is, no doubt, in my mind that they didn't make it out. But we need to be smart. We have, what? Two, three days of food? Barely two clips of ammo between us. We can' just go and wander the woods. Please Beth,  
we need to be smart about this."

"But, others could have made it. Maggie, Glenn-"

"I know. Beth, I know. But we can't go about this half-cocked. We need to be smart. I-I won't lose you, or Sophia. I won't. I can't," Beth fell silent and continued to look into the fire. "Why don' you go to bed? I'll take first watch."

She nodded, knowing that he would stay guard the entire night.

* * *

They walked through the day. Looking for tracks that would hopefully lead them to any survivors of the Prison. But all they found was bodies, walking and completely dead. Beth had seemed dejected about not finding anyone, but she and Sophia kept a positive  
outlook on things. Others had to survive, Rick and Michonne were out there. Glenn and Maggie were probably together that very moment. Sam admired their confidence, he certainly shared it, but there was a voice in the back of his mind, telling him  
that it was over, that they were the only ones left. But he wouldn't give into it. There had to be others, there simply had to be.

They eventually found the group of people that they had found tracks of earlier that day. It had been an eight-year-old boy, Luke, and a ten-year-old girl named Molly. They had found what was left of them by the side of the train tracks, three Walkers  
eating what was left of them. Sam had made short work of them, cleaving their heads off with single strokes, his eyes filling with tears as he killed off the walkers. He had done, terrible things, killing those that didn't deserve it, but seeing the  
devoured corpses of kids was something that he never wanted to see.

Beth had sobbed, Sophia had sobbed, but Sam would only let a few tears out, it was all that would come out. He felt as though, after the past year and a half of crying, he had no more tears to shed.

They had buried what was left of the kids. It only seemed right. Sam had his pack with him and that still meant that he had his whiskey bottle, something that never left his pack. He and Beth had each taken three quick drinks. One for Luke, one for Molly,  
and finally, one for Hershel.

Beth and Sophia turned in for the night, neither saying anything, and Sam understood why. It had been a shit day.

* * *

The next day went by quickly. They followed the tracks, ignoring the signs for the so-called Sanctuary. Sam had learned from previous experience, that if it sounded too good, then it was. Atlanta, Fort Benning, Woodbury, even the farm and Prison. They  
all sounded too good to be true, and then they were. As far as he was concerned, Sanctuary would just turn out to be another scam. But, if he knew the other, which he did, then they would probably try and find the place, so that was his best bet at  
finding the others.

Sam closed his eyes briefly, giving them a rest but staying awake. Even if he wanted to sleep, he made sure that a dull piece of wood was poking his back, so the constant discomfort would keep him awake. He looked up at the tree branches and saw Sophia  
strapped into the tree. He and Beth had found a car and scavenged seatbelts out of it. They could only fashion one harness out of it, and since Beth knew that Sam wouldn't take it they had given it to Sophia.

Sam sat at the bottom of the tree with Beth sleeping soundly on his shoulder. A thunderstorm was brewing and several loud claps of thunder sounded through the night sky.

"You should get some sleep," Beth mumbled into his shoulder.

"Have you gotten eight hours yet?"

"No, but what's the point of all of this if you're just gonna pass out from exhaustion?" Sam didn't answer, and instead adjusted himself on the tree. "Give me the rifle. Get some sleep."

"Wake me in an hour," Sam said, too tired to even try and argue with her.

* * *

Sam woke up with a sore back and blurry vision. He wiped his eyes and popped his back. He could hear several birds singing and the small creek where they had stopped by was flowing gently.

"Sammy?" He sprang up quickly his hand reaching for his knife in reflex but stopped when he saw Sophia standing in front of him. "Oh, you're awake! Beth's just washing down by the creek, she said that she would be back soon."

As if on cue Beth ran into the small "camp" (If it could be called that) panting. "I found something! It-it looked like a country club!" Sam looked at her, confused as to why she would want to scout out a country club. "Think about it! Clothes, food,  
maybe something to drink."

Sam looked down at the boiled water that had put into bottles as if to say, ' _We have plenty to drink._ '

"No, not just that. I mean," she leaned down and whispered so that Sophia couldn't hear, "alcohol."

"Beth, we can't just go on a mission to get that."

"We aren't. There has to be something good in there. That booze is just a bonus." Beth tried reasoning. And although every instinct inside on him told him that it was probably a bad idea, Sam desperately wanted to sleep in a real bed again, and knowing  
country clubs, they were probably very comfortable.

"Fine, we'll go, but if things get too bad, we leave, no questions about it." Beth nodded, and Sam was glad to see her excited about something, getting her out of the depressive mood that had overtaken them ever since the prison.

They tore down the camp and made their way through the creek and onto the country club's golf course. There were a few straggling Walker, but the three of them made to the building before the Walkers even became a semblance of a threat.

The front doors were locked, so they were forced to go through the back entrance. The windows were covered in sheets to keep the light out, and newspaper clipping covered the doors for the same reason. They could hear Walkers snarling from within the  
building. Furniture was piled high on each other and they came to a place where several of the residents of the club had hung themselves, or as Sam had heard Daryl say several times, opted out.

Sam found a flashlight and led the way for the small trio. He kept his machete raised and was sure to scan everybody twice before making his way to a pile of money that was sitting on the floor. He dumped out all of the jewels and gold necklaces but stuffed  
most of the money into the bag.

"Why are you keeping that stuff?" Beth asked him.

"Toilet Paper. The leaves we use are rather irritating." the three of them smiled and Sam shrugged more money into the bag. But then suddenly the Walkers they had spotted on the course began pounding on the doors. Sam nodded for the two girls to follow  
him as he opened the door that led deeper into the club. He slammed the door shut and they were thrown into darkness.

They ended up in the kitchens. Rotting food surrounded them as well as maggot's cockroaches and other insects that gave Sam a sense of disgust. The irony was not lost on him though. He could face a rotting walker and not blink twice, but bugs could make  
him freeze with disgust.

Sam browsed through whatever stores of food were left, Sophia not leaving his side and keeping her knife drawn. Sam couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety knowing that Beth was alone, but knew that she could take care of herself. It still didn't put  
him at ease any. While in the prison he had made sure that she could still take care of herself. Taking her out on outings, not runs, but just an escape outside the walls and fences making sure that her Walker killing skills were sharp.

There was a crash. He raised his machete and ran toward the noise. He could hear Beth scream and then what sounded like glass breaking. A Walker had grabbed her. She had half a bottle in her hands and was stabbing the shards into its eye over and over  
again until it was dead.

"Whoa," Sam said as the Walker fell to the ground.

"Thanks," Beth said as she looked down at the Walker's body.

"I'm sorry. I was looking through the stores. I thought you would be alright."

"I was," she said shortly before walking off.

They made it to a hallway with a lot of trophy's and an overturned clock. The three of them made it through easily and them stumbled into what seemed like a clothing store. Sam grabbed a few handfuls of matchboxes and then the lighters that were under  
the glass counter. Sophia followed his example grabbing anything that was of use. Sam looked up and then Saw Beth in a new shirt and sweater. And while he had seen Beth in clothes like it before, back at the farm, he still smiled when he saw her in  
something that, normal, something that reminded him about the world that had been before.

They left the shop, Sam and Sophia had grabbed pairs of clothes that they would put on latter they weren't as desperate to change as Beth, and they made their way back to the hallway. Sam held his hand up for a minute, listening. And then he heard them.  
Walkers were inside the club. He peered down the hallway and saw several of them going through the halls, right toward them. "Move!" Sam said as they made it into the locker room.

They all pulled their knives. Sam held his machete in one hand and a knife in the other. He took two large breathes and just as the first Walker appeared he threw the knife directly into its eye socket. The second Walker he slammed his machete into slipping  
it skull but getting the blade stuck. Beth came around and stabbed a Walker that was coming up on his right. Sam and her pulled back just as the final two Walkers appeared. Sam grabbed a gold club that was on the floor and swung it into the Walker's  
head while Beth kicked the last Walker in the gut ending it to the ground. She pinned it with her knees and raised the knife above her head screaming as she plunged the blade down and into its skull.

Together they got up and cleaned their blades. Beth had gotten a few specks of blood on her new clothes but shrugged it off. "They were bound to get dirty anyway."

After that they found the bar. Sam felt like he could go for a drink and Beth seemed more than eager. It was strange, he had offered her a drink before, whenever he had found a decent bottle of booze, but she had always declined. Now, here she was, more  
than eager to pour herself a drink.

They went through the shelves of alcohol. There was only bottle though. Peach Schnapps.

"Is it good?" Beth asked.

"I have no idea. That old Irish stereotype is a bit true I'm afraid. Whiskey is the only thing that I like to drink, lass."

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you start calling me lass?"

Sam shrugged and grabbed the bottle. "Since now. I don't know, this doesn't really seem like a good drink."

"It's all that's left. And it isn't a first drink! We had a few for Luke, and… and molly…. And then…"

"You don't have to do this." Sam said.

Beth eyes the bottle and her eyes welled with tears. Sam set the bottle down and pulled her into a tight hug. Sophia came into it as well. Beth grabbed the bottle and threw it against the wall behind the bar. There was a loud crash and Sam saw one of  
the boards come loose from the force of the impact. He walked over to it, and pulled the board loose and gasped at what he saw. A bottle of amber colored whiskey a label that read _McCallan Thirty-Five Year: 1973_.' Whoever had bought this bottle  
knew what they were buying, and Sam was so glad that it was unopened.

"Lass, I believe there's hope for us yet."

* * *

They kept walking, the bottle kept in his backpack, unopened. They would only open it when they were sure that it was safe for them to get slightly drunk. Which was all he was going to allow, _Slightly_ Drunk.

They made it to an abandoned side of the road motel. It was two stories and painted a fading pink color. There were two stair cases, one of which had collapsed and the other was blockaded by a car. They did a sweep of the twelve-room floor and found no  
sign of Walkers. Sophia had gone to bed straight away, tired from the das events. Sam managed to find a packet of red solo cups and soon enough he had poured Beth and him some.

Beth had drunk two glasses quickly before she had set up a little game for them to play.

"So first, I say something I've never done and if you have done it, you drink, and if you haven't, I drink. Then we switch." Beth explained. "You really don't know this game?"

"Michael and I never needed a game to get pissed before. This is a new experience for me. How do you know this game?"

"My friends used to play. I watched. I'll start. I've neverbeen to Ireland. So now you drink." Sam raised an eyebrow and took a drink. "Now you go."

"I've… I've never had blonde hair," Sam said, hoping that it was an acceptable answer.

"Cheap shot," Beth said taking a drink.

"Okay, Ms. Never Been to Ireland."

"I've never, been drunk and done something I've regretted."

"Second year of high school," Sam muttered as he took a drink. "Never been complimented for my singing voice."

"And there is a reason for that," Beth laughed and took a drink. She had a smirk on her ace and scooted over so she was sitting next him, then she leaned in and whispered into his ear, "I've never…"

Sam's eyes widened and he looked around as if he hadn't heard right. "You realize Sophia is right next door?"

"She's sleeping, and won't be awake until tomorrow," Beth whispered huskily into his ear.

"Well when you say it that way…"

* * *

AN: Okay, so I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, I have no idea why, but I did. Now I would like to clear something up. The groups are relatively the same, except for the fact that there is an extra group which is the Oscar and Merle Duo. Daryl is  
with Rick, Carl, and Michonne, which isn't all that vital, but will come into play later. Next chapter, I may, cannot stress that _may_ enough, put a lemon between Beth and Sam at the begining, just so I can try. If it comes out acceptable then  
I'll put it in there. Anyway, please leave a review and I'll see you guys next time! ~Pacco1


	21. Alone

Ch. 21

AN: I tried people, I really did, but nothing I wrote came out good, so you have my apologies for that. I will continue to try and if I ever write a lemon that I think is good, then I will post it, but until then, just leave things to the imagination.

* * *

They left the motel a bit happier. Beth was practically beaming and Sam was grinning like an idiot for most of the day. Sophia for her part, was just confused as to why they were acting like that. They made it back to the woods, sticking close to the tracks, making sure that they were covered from threats as they went along the path.

Eventually Sophia got bored with all of the sneaking through and began walking on the tracks. Sam called out for her to stop but she kept on. Eventually though, her foot got stuck and she slipped. Sam and Beth rushed onto the tracks and checked on her.

Sophia was crying and her ankle was red, already beginning to swell. Probably a minor sprain and she wouldn't be able to walk on it for a while. It was already close to dark and Sam suggested that they find somewhere to hunker down before they were stumbling abound in the dark. He gave his rifle to Beth telling her to keep them covered as he scooped Sophia up and gave her a piggyback ride. They went a bit farther down the tracks and found another Sanctuary sign, and a walker with half its guts torn out.

"What they," Sam muttered as he rounded the corner of the sign. Then in big bloody letters were the words, ' _GLENN GO TO TERMINUS, MAGGIE_ '. "Maggie?"

"What?" Beth said as she went and looked at the letters. "Maggie?"

Beth smiled at the mention of her sister's name and was quick to read the blood note. And then her smile fell.

"Glenn? Why did she only write his name?" Sam swallowed hard _. Did Maggie not have time? No, the note started with the name, it would have been the first thing she wrote. Maybe, she…._ But Sam couldn't come up with anything, other than, _She doesn't think Beth made it._

"Come on lass, we need to find a place to sleep tonight." Sam said softly tugging at her arm. Beth complied silently, not even glancing back at the sign.

They walked through the woods, coming up on a grave yard, with a funeral home sitting in the center. It seemed as good a place as any to hunker down for the night. They crept up on the home, Beth aiming the rifle the entire way. When they were close enough to be seen, and there were no gunshots, they simply began to stroll up to the front door.

Sam put Sophia down and pulled his machete out. He whistled into the house and then banged on the door.

"Hello! Anyone home?" He shouted into the home. There were no Walkers, and the house itself was impeccably clean that it was hard to believe that it had been abandoned. There was a casket and body in the viewing room, but other than that, the house was empty.

* * *

Sam swore under his breath as the cabinets turned up empty. So, did the fridge. "You find anything?" He asked Beth who was searching the other half of the kitchen.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed when she opened a pair of cabinets. Sam looked over and his jaw nearly dropped. Soda, canned goods, boxed goods, water jugs. Enough to last them weeks, even longer if they rationed properly.

"I have to say that is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen in my life," Sa said as he grabbed a jar of peaches.

"Hey!" Beth joked.

"Sorry lass, you may be beautiful, but I haven't had any of this for over a year."

She punched his shoulder and they began to dig through the food. Sam cut open a can of peaches and poured it into three cups handing one to Beth and Sophia. They enjoyed a bit of relaxation and food, before they went and began to put up the noise traps so Walkers couldn't sneak up on them. When it finally became dark, Beth and Sam sat down at the piano. She played a bit and sang for him and Sophia, lulling the smaller girl to sleep.

Sam told her to move over and began playing a few keys, trying to remember how the song went.

"What are you trying to play?"

"Will the Circle be Unbroken. It's a good song. I can never remember the first few keys through. Always escapes me," he said as he finally hit the right key. "And there we are. You know the lyrics?"

* * *

Sam woke up in the coffin, Beth resting on top of him. He smiled as he thought of the previous night. So mundane, so normal, if it wasn't for the fact that he was in a coffin, he would have thought that it was just another night in Ireland. Well if it was then Beth wouldn't have been there, but the point stands.

He laid in the coffin, smiling to himself, the horrors of the past few days forgotten. Carefully he adjusted himself so that he could slip out of the coffin, Beth stirred and woke up due to the movements, but he was able to get her back to sleep. Sophia was still sleeping on the couch next to the coffin, so Sam took the time to go and do a security weep of the outside. He stepped over the cans that they had set up and did a walk around. Nothing, no walkers, no people, just the graves and the house. It was really quite perfect.

Then he heard footsteps behind him. His hand grasped his knife and he turned around ready to strike at whatever it was behind him. And then he paused. Behind wasn't a walker, or a psychopath wanting to kill him. It was a dog. It had white shaggy hair, at first glance he thought it was missing an eye, but, then he saw that the hair had simply grown over one of its eyes.

Sam sheathed his knife and knelt down. The dog walked up to him, and Sam held out his hand. It sniffed it tentatively, and then began licking it. Sam smiled and rubbed the dogs head.

"Well hello there mate, I'm Samuel. And you are?" the dog barked. "Never heard that name before. How about I give you another one?" the dog barked again. Well before I give you one, I'm gonna need to introduce you to the others, wanna do that?" the dog barked again, and Sam began walking to the home again, the dog right next to him.

To say that Sophia and Beth were happy about the dog was a colossal understatement. They spent most of the morning bathing it and then clipping the hair so that he could see properly. They hadn't decided on a name yet, Sophia wanted something like snuffles, or snowball because of the white fur, Beth wanted something along the line of Toto, since one of her favorite movies was _The Wizard of Oz_. He wanted to give it a name after Michael, though considering who he was, that probably wouldn't have been the best idea. So, for the time being, they would simply call the dog, boy.

They spent the next night there as well, loading up the food, getting ready to make it to Terminus. Beth was still sour on the whole _'Glenn'_ thing, which was completely understandable, and Sam was not going to say anything about it, he would have been pissed as well.

When night fell again Sam heard the cans shake and grabbed his machete. He opened the door carefully and as it creaked open he felt the force of a herd push against the door. "Shite! Beth! Sophia! Get out of here!"

He could hear the dog barking loudly and Beth shout that she wasn't leaving him. She appeared in the doorway and pushed her body against the door helping him keep it shut.

"Beth, take this!" Sam said handing her the machete. "I have my knife, grab Sophia and climb out one of the windows!"

"What about you?"

"Not dead yet! And this is not how I die Beth. Give me the rifle." She handed it to him and then he kissed her and then pushed her away from the door. "Go! Up the road! I'll be there!"

He led the Walkers through the house, every few steps he would turn and kill a Walker. HE led them to the basement and moved one of the examination tables so that he would have a barrier to contain the flow of walkers. He managed to get four of five of them before move arrived and he began to get overwhelmed. He spun the table around and trapped them in the basement, giving himself enough time to get out of the house.

He ran to the road, avoiding and killing walkers where he could. he got to the road and then he saw it. Beth's' bag sitting on the ground, as if someone had thrown in. If a walker had grabbed it then there would have been tracks, but now, there were only tire tracks. Wheels squealed against the road and Sam saw a car with a white cross on the back speeding off.

"Beth! Sophia!" he heard barking and saw the dog running up to him. Its mouth was bloodied and he had to do a double take, then he realized, that wasn't the dogs blood. Whomever must've taken Beth and Sophia must've been bitten by the dog.

"Good job ya' little bastard!" Sam said as he ran in the direction of the car.

He ran, and he ran, until night turned into day. His legs screamed for him to stop, his lungs begged as well, but he kept going. The weight of his pack, and the gun slowed him down, but he couldn't leave either of them. When he reached a fork in the road he paused. _Which way? Which way? Which fucking way?_ His arms and legs felt like jelly, his hand loosened us and the gun clattered to the floor. He fell to his knees and felt a few tears sting his eyes. The dog came up beside him and licked hi face, some of the blood sticking to his cheek.

He wasn't sure how long he was like that. He just remembered when he heard the footsteps.

"Well lookit here," the lead man said. Six of them formed a circle around him. Sam scanned them and then noticed that the dog wasn't there anymore. The lead walked up to Sam and just as he was about to reach out for him, Sam swung and hit the man in the face. The men raised their rifles and Sam had his gun trained on the man he punched. "Damn it, hold up!

"I'm claiming his jacket!" a man behind him said.

"Hold up!" The man he sent to the ground wiped his face and began laughing a bit madly before he got up again. "A kid! I respect that. See grown men, they could have just look intimidating and then no one would say a word, surviving is a bit easier for them. But a kid? Well you have to work twice as hard!"

"You get yourself in some trouble partner?" The same man that claimed his jacket said, noticing the stains on Sam's knife and the butt of his gun.

"You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over. That what you want?" the lead asked him. "Come on fella, suicide is stupid. Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people?" There was a growl and the dog reappeared, its teeth bared and its legs bent, ready to jump on any of the men. "A dog too? My aren't you just full of surprises? Come on, put the gun down. Names Joe."

Sam lowered his rifle and whistled at the dog, who immediately stopped growling. "Samuel."

"An Irishman! You're far from home."

"Tell me something I don't know."

* * *

AN: So two chapters in is it two days or the same day? Not sure, all I know is the three hour period between my classes sucks! Anyway, please let me know what you guys thought! Please leave a review and I will see you all next time! ~Pacco1


	22. Marauders and Terminus

Ch. 22

They slept in the middle of the woods, barbed wire hanging around them with Cans to make noise just in case the Walkers came around. Sam had left the camp an hour ago, he had the dog next to him, still unnamed. He had set up a few snare traps all over the forest, and was now waiting going around, checking them to see if he had any successful ones.

He was just about to give up on the traps when he saw a cotton tail heading for one of his traps. The dog stopped when he did and laid on its stomach when he knelt down. It was a good dog, obviously trained, and seemed to have imprinted on him rather quickly. The cotton tail was going toward the little noose, and was just about to strangle itself when an arrow whizzed by Sam's head and entered the creatures head.

Sam looked back and saw one the bowman, Len standing there with a cocky smile.

"What the bloody hell are ya' doing?"

Len pretended to be confused. "Catching me some breakfast."

"That's mine!" Sam growled out as he went and retrieved the rabbit.

"My arrow's the one that killed it, not your stupid ass noose! Cottontail belongs to me."

"I was out here before the sun came up! It's mine!"

"Rules of the hunt don't mean jack out here! Now that rabbit you're holding, is claimed, boy," Sam pulled the arrow out and tossed it into the forest. "Claimed whether you like it or not. So, I was you, I'd hand it over. Before you get to wishing you never got out of bed this morning."

"No," Sam told him, the dog beside him began to growl lightly and let out a few small yelps.

"You know, I'll bet this bitch," Sam's hand reached down for his knife and squeezed tightly, "got you all messed up, hmm? Am I right? Got you walking around here like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail. Must've been a good'un." Sam walked away but when Len opened his mouth again he stopped. "Tell me something, was it a pretty'un? 'cause they don't last too long out here."

Sam drew his knife and the dog began barking loudly ready to pounce on the man. He took a few steps towards Len but Joe came in and stepped between the two of them.

"Easy fellas, easy!' Joe said grabbing Sam's knife and Len laughed, pleased that he managed to get to Sam. "Let's just put our weapons down, see if we can't figure out what's really the problem here, huh?"

Sam kept his knife out, and the dog stopped growling but remained in an aggressive stance.

"Did you claim it?"

"Hell, yeah." Len said, slinging his bow across his back.

"Well there you go. That critter belongs to Len," Joe said.

"So, let's have it."

"Looks like you may be wanting an explanation," Joes said before explaining the claimed system that he had in place in order to keep the peace. if you claim something then it is yours and nothing and no one can take it. All with the word claimed. When Sam rejected it, Len wanted to "Teach" Sam, but Sam would have none of it. When Joe Reached for the cotton tail Sam let him have it though.

"He can have it, that's fine, makes no difference," Sam smiled and bumped Len as he walked away. "There's bound to be more prey in this place."

They walked throughout the day, Len shooting victorious looks Sam's way the entire walk. Sam didn't say anything though, wouldn't give the fucker the satisfaction. They followed the tracks and they heard a rustling in the bushes. Sam pulled his knife, feeling a bit naked without his machete, the weapon he had given Beth, to keep her and Sophia safe, when two men came out of the brush with guns. Almost immediately they drew as did everyone in Sam's new group.

There were shouts from both sides to put down the weapons which both sides ignored. The dog began barking at the two new arrivals, and Sam took a step forward.

"Shut up!" He screamed at both sides. "Jaysus! Calm down! Listen, who are you?"

One of the men looked at Sam but kept his rifle up. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sam! Now please, put your gun down!"

"Then first!" Sam looked into the man's eyes, he wasn't a killer, and neither was the other. They were just scared. _Easy kills. Kill them,_ a voice he hadn't heard in a while told him.

"Joe, do it," Sam said calmly. "My gun is on my belt, I'm gonna reach for it, and put it on the ground alright?"

The man nodded and Sam's hand pulled his pistol out from its holster. He held it up and slowly moved it to the ground. The man kept track of the gun and Sam smiled a bit. This was the part that demanded perfect execution. He rushed the man and plunged his knife into his throat. The other man wasted time screaming his friends name while he could have started shooting. Sam shoved the body onto him causing the man to fall back. The dog seemed to understand what was happening and bit the man's throat, drowning him in his own blood.

"Claimed," Sam said.

"Claimed what?" Joe asked.

"Everything unless I don't want it."

"You can't do that!" Len said as he marched over to the young Irishman.

"I claimed it, didn't I? Isn't that the whole point? Unless you're breaking the rules?" Sam smiled at Lens suddenly nervous face, and the bowman backed off quickly.

Sam went through all of the now dead men's supplies. He took their pistols, all of their ammunition, even the ammo he didn't need, the food, extra socks, he even found a small necklace with a bright blue sapphire that he pocketed.

"Whatever's left you lot can have," Sam said as he watched the other men scavenge for the scraps he had left them.

"You're learning!" Joe said proudly, watching as Sam put all of the new items in his pack.

"Doesn't take a genius to learn that simple shite." Sam told the older man.

They walked the tracks the rest of the night. Len shooting Sam dirty looks now. Sam, instead of smirking at the bow wielding son of a bitch, just twirled his new pistols in his hand, never even looking at the man, nor smiling.

They stopped at an old auto shop. Sam didn't get a chance to claim a car, as pretty much everyone in the group with the exception of Joe strangely enough, was a complete and utter dick, though it probably didn't help that he had taken everything of value off of the men he killed. He took a spot on the floor and closed his eyes. It was strange, before he would go to bed thinking that he might not wake up, and now, he was absolutely sure of it.

* * *

Beth was playing the piano. It was a slow and steady tune that reminded Sam of when she would hum to him when they were on the road, before the prison. He smiled as he got out of the coffin he was laying in. Sophie could be heard somewhere else in the house, a dog barking and her giggling.

Sam sat up and looked over at the piano. "What are you playing?"

She shrugged and hit a few keys. "I'm just trying to come up with something different. Something new, you know?"

Sam nodded and looked around the room. Everything seemed so bright, and wonderful. As if nothing was wrong. Was it another life, a different reality, or simply his subconscious telling him what he already knew.

"I'm sorry," Sam told her.

Beth smiled and laughed. Sophia and the dog came in and thing suddenly got to be too quiet. "What for?"

"I didn' make it in time. You got snatched, you and Soph. I'm sorry. And now, I'm going back. To who I was. I can feel it. Or, to be honest, I can't feel anything really, and it feels good. Better then what I was feeling in the middle of that road." Sam wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at Beth, she looked sad now. "Is it bad that I enjoyed it? Killing those men?"

"Sammy, do you think we're dead?" Beth asked softly.

"No."

"Then do what you need to do. Do it, so you can survive, and find us. Please. Do what you need to, and find us." Although she was in his head, he knew that it was something that she would say.

* * *

"Give it here!"

"Step back!"

"I'm missing my .45's! Now no one here has a gun like that, except you, which you got off of those two assholes you killed, and I know for sure that they didn't have any ammo!" Len said as he shoved Sam back.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? No, they didn' have any ammo, but that doesn't mean that I would risk my neck trying to steal!" Sam said defensively.

"Empty your bag!"

"Step back!" Sam grabbed his pack.

Joe snatched the bag out of Sam's hands and began going through it. Canned food, the two pistols, different plastic bags for different bullets, and a picture of Beth that he had taken when he borrowed Glenn's polaroid.

"Well isn't she fine," Joe said as he admired the picture. "I can see why you were sad. But back to the matter at hand. Did you take his bullets, Sam? Jest tell me the truth."

"No!"

Joe looked through the bullets and found a small bag, not plastic but nylon, containing .45's. "Well look at that."

"You put that there!" Sam's hand went for his knife and the dog began to growl. "When I was asleep, didn't you!"

"You lied! You stole! We gonna teach this fool or what?" Len said squaring up to Sam. Sam was going to attack him when Joe stepped between them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Now Sam said that he didn't take your bullets, so we got a little conundrum here. So, either he's lying, which is an actionable offense, or, well you didn't plant it on him like some pussy punk-ass cheating coward cop, did you? Cuz while that wouldn't specifically be against the rules, you'd disappoint me. You would."

"I didn't," Len insisted.

"Good. Well," Joe punched Len and the man fell to the ground in pain. "Teach him a lesson gents, the lying sack of shit, I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way!"

The men seemed all too eager to begin beating on the man, either he wasn't that liked in the group, or the men had severe pent up rage.

"I saw him do it," Joe admitted to Sam as Len's grunts of pain echoed through the shop.

"You wanted him to lie," Sam smiled as he looked over Joes shoulder.

"I wanted to see if you would tell the truth, and if he would."

Sam grabbed the bullets and said one word. "Claimed."

He looked back at Len and ran over. He kicked the man in the chest, enjoying the screams he made as the men destroyed his body. Sam's boot connected with the man's torso over and over, finally giving into the voice that had plagued him whenever he had been in combat or on a run. He became the man that he had been when he was with Michael, and he loved it.

By the end, Len was barely breathing. His arms were broken as were one of his legs, one of his eyes was closed due to the swelling, and all Sam could feel for him, was nothing. Just a small twinge of satisfaction. The knife to the head was a mercy if nothing else. The others divided and claimed Len's things. And Sam took the truck he would've slept in. He would do what it took to survive, and nothing would stop him.

* * *

He had a gun to his head. Two more had theirs on Michonne and Daryl. A man was trying to get at Carl in the truck they had found.

"You screwed up asshole. You hear me? You screwed up!" the man said. "Today is a day of reckoning good sir! Restitution! Balancing of the whole damn universe! Shit and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve!" He and the other Marauders began to laugh. "Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh? Ten Mississippi! Nine Mississippi! Eight Mississippi!"

"Joe!" Rick knew that voice. He and the others looked and saw none other than Samuel Conall come out of the woodwork with his rifle. "Wait."

"You're stopping me on eight, Sam!"

"I know." He walked over to Rick." I just needed to say, claimed!" He grabbed the revolver off of Ricks belt. "You know Rick, I always did admire this gun. The one time that I shot it, beautiful!"

Rick and Michonne looked over at Sam with shock, while Daryl just looked at the boy with nothing but anger.

"You know these people?" Joe asked.

"Oh yeah, airseholes from my last group. Never really liked them, or her, never put out you know," Sam smiled as he leered at Michonne. "Just wanted to get a claim on the pistol. And a few last words if you'll allow it."

Joe grinned madly. "Well of course! Though we won't be killing the bitch! You could have a go if you want!"

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl yelled but Sam pistol whipped him.

"Shut the fuck up Daryl! My words are for Rick." Knelt in front of Rick and smiled. "You know, you knew who I was. What I did, you shoulda killed me. Now I'm back."

"What happened to you?"

"I lost her. Both of 'em actually. Because you couldn't lead. I'd say it's sad to see you go, but, it isn't really." Rick felt something cold and sharp in his hand, the moonlight showed a piece of metal. "Should have cut my balls of."

Sam stood up and motioned for Joe to continue. "Seven Mississippi!"

Rick sprang into action. The knife Sam had given him made contact with Joes Genitals and Sam raised the gun and shot the men standing over Michonne and Daryl. A dog came out of nowhere and bit the other man's arm causing him to drop his gun and try and get the dog off of him. Rick quickly grabbed Joes pistol and killed him, before turning to the one that had is son on the ground.

"He's mine," he whispered darkly, moving with the knife to end the man's miserable life.

* * *

"You didn't really think that I was serious, did you?" Sam asked Rick and Daryl when everything had settled.

"I wasn't sure. So much can happen in such a short amount of time, I didn't know what to think." Rick told him.

"I thought that you turned on us," Daryl admitted. "Wasn't 'till you said that Michonne didn't put out that I knew. You wouldn't have gone after Michonne. You were with Beth. Where is- "

"Gone," Sam said quickly. "Her and Sophia both. It's just me and Bastard." Sam petted the dog affectionately. The dog still had blood on his snout but barked happily and lick Sam's face.

"Bastard?" Rick asked, cracking a smile.

"That's what I call him most of the time. He, didn't have a name. Sophia, Beth and I couldn't think of anything definite, so we just called him boy, but then, after I lost them, I started to call him Bastard. Figure that's his name. And before you go all, not a proper name on me, it's what my friends and I used to call each other, had a certain, charm to it, meant we were great friends if we called each other bastard. Figured why not for the dog as well."

They were silent or a while, Rick tried to clean the blood from his face but had little luck with it. Dam could feel the nagging in his head, the one that he used to rely on to survive go down a bit.

"I'm sorry. For what almost happened. Last night, I thought it was just going to be a couple of nobodies. But it wasn't. I ready to let it happen, to let them, die. But when I saw it was you, I couldn't. I wouldn't. I'm sorry for even considering it."

"It's not your fault," Rick said. "Sam, it's not your fault. You being back with us here, helping us take them down, that's everything. You're like my son." Sam looked at Rick. "I know, that I treated you bad back when we first met, and never really heard you out, but you are important to me, you both are. Sam, I'm proud of you. You survived, you led Beth and Sophia though hell, and made it with a bunch of hardasses. You did good."

Sam didn't know what to feel. The only thing his dad had ever told him was that he was a disappointment. That he would never amount to anything. Now, a man that he admired, a man that he had followed, had just said that he was proud of him, he had said good job. And then the voice disappeared.

* * *

"You know this Terminus place is bullshite," Sam said as they neared the place.

"We don't know that," Rick told him. "But just in case, we're gonna go through the woods, scope 'em out first."

"I'll stay behind," Sam volunteered. "Just in case it goes belly up."

Rick didn't argue. They walked through the woods, coming up on a fenced off area filled with buildings and train cars. It was eerily quiet and Sam was unnerved by the whole thing. They spread out by the fences and began to observe the place. After not seeing an activity, Rick ordered them to put most of their things in a duffle bag that Sam would keep watch of. He took it, seeing the assortment of weapons; Ricks revolver, the guns from Joe's group, plus a few other handy little weapons. Sam saw a machete in there, but didn't sheathe it. It felt wrong to take another machete, sentimentality or something like that.

With a final good-bye, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Carl entered Terminus. And Sam watched from afar.

* * *

AN: Okay, I am spoiling you guys! I have had nothing but free time today so here you are! Third one for the day and the end of Season Four! Man... I am tired. Please everyone leave a review, I absolutely love them and appreciate them, just as I appreciate all of you! So please, Review! ~Pacco1


	23. Terminus Confession

Ch. 23

Sam and Bastard moved as soon as he heard the shots. He slung the bag over his shoulder and ran deeper into the woods. He made sure to stomp his footprints around plenty in case they tried to pick up his trail, whoever they were. Sam knew for sure that Rick wouldn't start firing unless he was under threat. Well that and they had no guns.

As he stumbled through the woods he began to notice more and more Walkers appearing. He avoided them and Bastard moved further ahead, zig-zagging in-between their legs. He slid his knife into one and spilt its guts onto his clothes covering himself in their scent. He hid himself directly after giving himself some time to get the scent all over him and the Walkers to forget that they saw him before he emerged. He walked with the heard for a bit, until they got on the tracks and then broke off and dived into a ditch right beside it and the Walkers continued on. Bastard had met him there, as if the dog knew where he was going.

He stumbled onto a cabin with a car parked out front and a few fire work tubes lying about. He knew that either someone got very sloppy, or someone had to leave in a hurry. He crept to the cabin, his footsteps light and making sure to pace out his steps, just like Oscar had taught him. When he got to the window he peaked his head inside and saw, much to his delight, Carol, Tyreese, and Merle standing over a man. He saw something in Ty's arms, or should he say, someone. It was Judith.

He smiled and let out a few silent chuckles and the dog nipped his hand affectionately. The Terminus Fucks didn't stand a chance.

He knocked on the door lightly, shouting that it was Sam. The door crept open slowly and he was met with a gun to the face and Merle glaring daggers into him.

"How are ya' Merle? Ready to do some killin'?" Merle actually cracked a smile and grabbed Sam, dragging him into the room. And Bastard followed quick.

"Holy shit! Is it good to see you Paddy! How'd you even get here?" Merle asked, holstering his gun and slapping Sam on the back. "Is that a dog?

"Long story short, after the prison I wandered, found Bastard, then met up with a group of Marauders and then found Rick. He, Daryl, Michonne, and Carl are in there right now. Captured by these fucks." Sam spat on the man from Terminus. "So, what's the plan? I assume you questioned this man?"

"We were just about getting to it." Merle said, running his bladed arm along the man's cheek, drawing a bit of blood.

"No," Carol said. "I'll use the Walkers as cover, get in and find our people."

"I'm going too. I need to express some rage," Sam said as he pulled out his knife.

"Fine," Carol said. "You two stay here. Watch him, and keep an eye out for Walkers. If he moves, kill him."

"Merle, take care of Bastard."

* * *

Carol bloodied herself up and rubbed mud on her ace to confuse the walkers. Sam simply applied a fresh coat of blood and guts before he was ready. The two of them walked through the woods and came onto a scene that filled them both with burning rage. Their people were being dragged out of a rail car and then gagged before being brought to another part of Terminus.

When they saw the gates of Terminus they saw a group of Walkers amassing on the main gates. Several of the Fucks (Sam's name for the Terminus Group) were on the fences popping the Walkers through the fence. He was tempted to shoot them, but they all began screaming as soon as a large Herd came into sight.

Carol took out a bottle rocket and Sam shot a large reserve of pressurized oxygen before carol shot off the rocket. The resulting explosion destroyed the gates of Terminus and gave the Walkers as well as Sam and Carol, easy access to Terminus. They moved through the herd of Walkers and into the compound. Sam didn't even try and saving any of the Fucks as he and Carol moved in. He didn't feel bad, they had taken their people and they got what they deserved.

They got to a narrow part of the compound that the Fucks were using as a shooting gallery. He and Carol took cover and he aimed with his rifle at the one on the roof while Carol killed the one on the ground. The only problem was that the Walkers now knew that they weren't dead and moved in on them. Sam pulled back into the room they used as cover as did Carol, and they shut the door.

They walked through the unlit corridor until they came upon a room filled to the brim with personal belongings. Clothes, teddy bears, jewelry, hats, glasses. Everything. Sam and Carol scanned through it all and looked for anything that they could see as useful. Carol paused when she saw a crossbow and immediately grabbed it. Sam went to the same rack and saw several pistols that he grabbed and shoved into his pack, and paused when he saw something that caught his eye. If was in a wooden sheath, and had a black leather wrapped hilt with a silver pommel, and silver cross guards. He grasped it and pulled out of the pile, a hand and a half sword. He's been wanting one ever since he had first seen Michonne's, and never could find one, and here it was. He strapped it to his belt, getting comfortable with the weight, and adjusting it so it wouldn't pull his pants down and then he and Carol began walking once again.

They came to a memorial of sorts, or at least that was what Sam would have called it. There were candles and names written in the chalk. The Words "Never Again. Never Trust. We First, Always." Were painted on the walls. If it wasn't for the fact that he hated these people he would have felt some pity.

"Drop your weapons and turn around!" And that feeling was gone. "I want to see your faces! Now!"

Sam saw shadows under the door and knew that there were walkers waiting for them on the other side. But the woman had the drop on them. So, he and Carol dropped their weapons. Or he thought they were. Carol suddenly opened fire and dove at the woman. Sam drew his sword, hoping to bloody it early when he saw that Carol had the fight, pretty much covered without him. He had forgotten what a badass she was.

"The signs…" the woman began, "they were real. It was a Sanctuary. People came and took this place. And they reaped, and they killed, and they laughed. Over weeks! And we got out, and we fought, and we took this place back, and we heard the message! You're the butcher or you're the cattle."

"Where are the men they pulled from the train car?" Sam stalked over to the woman, as he fully grasped what she was saying. He would definitely bloody his sword. When she didn't speak, Sam slid the blade on her calf exposing the muscle and letting the blood flow freely. "Where are they?"

The woman remained on the ground groaning in pain as she tried to hold the muscle in her leg. "Now…" she said through heavy breaths, "jam it, in my head." She began to crackle madly. "You could have been one of us. You could have listened to what the world is telling you."

"You lead people here and you take what they have, and you kill them?"

"No," Sam said as he knelt beside the woman. "They eat them. Butcher, or the cattle. Isn' that right?" The woman tried to explain, but Sam kicked her in the jaw and felt satisfied when it cracked against his boot. "Enjoy what comes next."

He and Carol holstered their weapons and made for the exit. When they threw it open and the Walkers ignored them, the woman inside began to scream. Sam didn't bother to hide his smirk.

When the Walkers became to much they snuck out. Sam had assumed that Rick would most likely go to where he had left him and the bag. When he and Carol neared the location, she began to speak.

"Do you know what happened to Sophia?" Sam almost stopped walking. "Tyreese said that he saw you with her and Beth. Are they with Rick and the others?"

Sam swallowed a bit of bile that had crept into his throat. "No. I was with her. And Beth, but we were overrun one night. Beth and Sophia ran with Bastard. I hold them off. When I went to the meet up point a car was driving off, had a white cross on the back. I ran after it, all night. Came to a cross road, didn't know where to go. I'm sorry."

Carol didn't respond to him. She only kept walking.

Rick and the others were looking around, whispering ' _Sam! Sam!'_ over and over. When he emerged from the trees with Carol in tow, they all raised their weapons, but they all, except for two, lowered them. Daryl Ran over to Carol and hugged her tightly. Sam smiled and threw down the bag of guns.

"Did you do that?" Rick asked the two of them.

Sam smirked and motioned at the ag of guns. "Load up Kiddies! We got a bit of a walk and to many Walkers to count."

They stuck to the woods and Sam and Carol led the group to the cabin. When they got there, Merle was sitting on the porch with Bastard, dried blood on his bayonet and on Bastards snout.

"Everything alright?" Sam asked as he reached for his pistol.

"'s fine. Guy tried to have a go at the girl, I killed 'im. Ty's watching her righ' now."

On cue, Tyreese came out holding Judith and Carl and Rick rushed over. Sasha and Daryl did the Sam hugging their respective siblings. Through Merle tried to hide it, he was overjoyed that his brother was back. Bastard yelped and nuzzled Sam's leg, and he patted the dogs head. They had made it.

Shortly after they made their way away from the cabin and to the road. Sam knew what happened now. They would take their chances on the road.

* * *

"Sam, you got a sec?" Maggie asked him after about an hour of walking. "Do you know what happened to Beth? Carol said that you were with them, but, nothing else."

Sam looked into Maggie's frantic eyes, she was desperate for news. "I was. We were together, with Sophia. When— when the prison went down we escaped. After that, we ran for a few days before we found a funeral home. We stayed for a two day, then we were, overrun." Bastard made a few whimpering noises. "You did the best you could. I shoulda been there."

Maggie was silent, and Sam could tell that some of the others were listening. Not because they were nosy, but because of the close proximity. "Is she dead?"

"I don' know."

"Either she is, or she isn't."

"I honestly don' know. We were separated, and then a car with a white cross drove off with Beth and Sophia. I ran after it. All night. I came to a crossroad. I didn' know which way."

Maggie scoffed. "You gave up?"

Sam's anger flared and he stopped walking to look at her. "No! I didn'. I'm keep looking. No matter what, I'll find those girls, and bring 'em back. Cause that's what I do. I don't give up on them. Giving up, well that would be like, ' _Glenn, go to Terminus, Maggie. Glenn, Glenn, Glenn_.' That's giving up."

* * *

They had been walking a few days. Supplies were beginning to run low. Maggie hadn't talked to Sam again, for obvious reasons, and he was fine with that. He would still save her if need be, but the silence between them was absolutely fine with him.

Sam twirled his sword, taking a few tips from Michonne who admitted that she felt a bit naked without hers. Merle gave him a few tips as well on how to handle the blade but admitted that he was more use to knives.

When night fell, Sam addressed the elephant in the room with Merle, asking him what had happened with Oscar. Merle sobered up a bit and told Sam how, they had found a group of men the middle of a town. They didn't even do anything before the men attacked them without warning before driving off. Oscar was shot in the gut, while Merle did what he could, there was no stopping him from dying. He bled out right there on the pavement. Merle had buried him himself, took him hours with his one hand, but he had done it.

They both took a quick swig out of one of Sam's whiskey bottle for him, before turning in for the night.

* * *

They were waling the next morning, business as usual, when they heard someone screaming for help. Sam's first thought was to ignore it as keep walking, but Carl and Rick moved toward the voice. WHEN THEY ARRIVED, Sam was glad that they had gone, as a Priest was sitting on top of a rock three Walkers trying to get at him.

Sam unsheathed his new sword and whistled at Bastard. Immediately the dog ran at the first walker and tore into its muscles sending it to the ground. Sam jammed his sword into it and the others dispatched the other Walkers just as easily.

"Clear, keep watch," Rick said before turning to the Priest. "Come on down." the Priest lid down and looked nauseas. "You okay?"

He held up a finger and then vomited. "Sorry. Yes, thank you. I'm Gabriel."

"Do you have any weapons on you," Rick asked and Gabriel laughed.

"Come on Rick," Sam whispered to the man.

"Does it look like I would have any weapons on me?" Gabriel asked.

"We don't give two shorts and curlies what it looks like." Abraham said.

"I have no weapons of any kind," Gabriel informed them. "The word of God I the only protection I need."

"Sure, didn't look like it," Merle chuckled.

"Shut up," Sam snapped at the man. "Forgive him Father he's a bit uncivilized, we all are to be honest."

"No, it is fine. Besides, I called for help, help came."

"Amen to that."

"Oh, don't tell me you believe this shit Paddy!" Merle laughed.

"Irish Catholic. My ma' would've killed me if I didn't go to church."

"Excuse me but," Gabriel said quietly. "Do you, uh— have any food? Whatever I— had left, just hit the ground."

Carl held out his hand and offered the Father a few pecans. Gabriel thanked him and took the pecans.

"Do you have a camp?" Gabriel asked.

"No., Do you?" Ricked said quickly.

"I have a church," Gabriel said, unsure of whether it would be accepted.

"Hold your hands above your head." Rick ordered the man who complied and Rick quickly patted him down. "How many Walkers have you killed?"

Gabriel seemed nervous, but Sam could understand it. "Uh… not any, actually."

"Turn around. How many people have you killed?"

Gabriel seemed confused. "None."

"Why?"

"Jaysus Rick leave the Father alone," Sam said before preforming the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

"Because the Lord abhors violence."

"What have you done?" Rick asked him, Gabriel seemed uncomfortable and confused so Rick pressed on. "We've all done something."

"I'm a sinner," Gabriel admitted. "I sin almost every day. But those sins I confess them to God, not strangers."

Sam could respect that. "Father, you said you had a church?"

Gabriel nodded quietly and then led them to the church. It was a short walk but they eventually made it to the church. It wasn't an Irish Catholic, but it would do for Sam.

They made sure that the church was clear and then began moving what little belongings they had into the church. Sam sat down and preformed the cross again and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he had been in a church.

When Rick told the Father that he was going with them to clear out a dozen Walkers Sam stepped up and asked if he could have a minute or two with Gabriel. Rick allowed it, and Sam turned to the Father.

"Do you do confessions?" He asked quietly. He heard Merle scoff and saw several others roll their eyes, but held firm with his stance.

"Of course. This way," Gabriel led Sam to the confessionals. They entered and Sam relaxed in the small space, closing his eyes.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. My last confession was most likely a year ago." Sam paused and looked down at his hands. "I've killed. A lot. Couple dozen men and women maybe. I've stolen, to survive. Tortured, for the same reason. I've laid with a woman, out wedlock. And I think, perhaps the greatest sin, is that I don't regret any of it. I feel guilt sometimes, but, that was when I made a mistake in the acts. But, do I regret taking lives. No. I don't. I am sorry for these and all the sins of my past life, Father."

Gabriel seemed shocked but quickly regained his composure. "An act of Contrition a day, to remember all you have done."

"Thank you, Father. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Hold Spirit. Amen."

* * *

AN: Okay, so I do not know a lot about confession, considering that I have never been to confession, I figured that an Act of Contrition a day would make Sam remember all he has done, and Gabriel hopes that it will make him better. Anyway! Who would like to see scenes of what happened to Beth and Sophia next chapter? I may do it, I may not, tell me what you think! Review! ~Pacco1


	24. Grady Memorial Hospital

Ch. 24

She woke up in a hospital. Alone, with nothing but pale blue scrubs and an I.V. in her arm. She walked to the window and saw a city. She thought it was Atlanta, having only been there a handful of times but some of the buildings looked familiar, even if they looked blackened due to the napalm bombings.

She moved to the door, pounding on it screaming for the people that she knew to be on the other side to let her out. She heard movement and backed away from the door pulling out her I.V. in case of a fight. _Remember Beth, if you're in a tight spot, anything can be used as a weapon._

Two people walked in. A man in a lab coat and glasses as well as a woman in a clean police uniform.

"Everything's going to be alright," the man said.

"Put it down. Drop it right now," the woman ordered her.

 _But remember, always save your strength. If you know you can't win then pull back, retreat and attack when you can,_ she dropped the needle and raised her hands slightly.

"I'm Dr. Steven Edwards. This is Officer Dawn Lerner. How are you feeling?" _And never trust anyone that's too nice. Usually never ends well._

"Where am I?" Beth asked immediately.

"Grady Memorial Hospital, in Atlanta."

"How did I get here?"

"My officers found you on the side of the road surrounded by rotters." Dawn told her.

"Your wrist was fractured and you sustained a superficial head wound." Dr. Edwards said, she was put off by how calm they seemed about everything. "Can you remember your name?"

"Beth." She thought for a second, processing everything she had heard. "The girl I was with, and the man, are they here too?"

"You and the girl are here, but other than you two, my officers didn't find anyone. If we hadn't saved you, you'd be one of them right now," Dawns face went from comforting to slightly cold. "So, you owe us."

 _You don't owe anyone anything. If people say that you owe them, it's a crock of bullshite._ Beth heard Sam say in her mind as she realized her situation.

* * *

Dr. Edwards showed Beth around. Told her some of her duties and around the hospital. Officers went around the hospital in and out of the rooms while everyone else seemed to be actually working. When she was relieved she asked if she could see Sophia but Dr. Edwards denied her, saying that Sophia still hadn't woken up. The girl had been found with a broken leg and they decided to keep her sedated until it had healed properly. Protocol dictated, apparently, that no one was allowed to see sedated patients.

Beth went to the cafeteria, where food had been laid out for the wards to get. There was another girl as well as an officer with a clip board. Beth grabbed a tray and began to grab small amounts of food when the Officer approached her.

"You're looking better and better," he began. "We had a lead on some guns, so me and my partner were pretty far out. That's when we saw you and the girl, wriggling in the road. You don't remember me, do you?"

"I was fighting a Walker," Beth said shortly. "I was trying to protect Sophia. And then everything went black."

"Yeah, one was eyeing your things when we showed up. But, I got there first."

"Our dog had it handled," Beth said, a hazy image of the Dog bringing it to the ground flashing in her head.

"Yeah, but I finished it. Jacked that Rotter up. I'm Gorman," Beth kept her head down and didn't say anything. "When someone does you a favor, it's a courtesy to show some appreciation. Unless you want me to write down everything you're taking. Everything costs something, right?"

 _Save your strength and hit your opponent when he's weak._ Beth smiled put her tray back.

She wandered the halls, checking every other room for Sophia, trying not to seem too obvious about her snooping. She checked behind her every few steps, made sure not to make too much noise, and then checked another room. No Sophia. She walked forward, her arm brushing the handle and it slid open, she bent down and pretended to check her shoes. No Sophia.

She went down the hallway and found no sign of the younger girl. She passed dawn ordering around one of her wards, a dark-skinned boy, saying something about finding Joan and then saying how she wanted her uniform pressed.

* * *

A new patient had been brought in, Dr. Edwards had said that he wasn't going to make it but Dawn seemed dead set on making sure that he did. The Doctor did what he could and managed to stabilize the man, but told Dawn that no matter what he did he would most likely die. Dawn reached to smack Beth, but her reflexes caused her to whip her head back and avoid the hit.

Dawn looked even more angry but instead turned back to the Doctor. "Steve, try and grasp the stakes here." Then she stalked away.

They brought in someone else. She was bit and struggling. When Beth and Dr. Edwards got into the room, sawn told the girl that she had two choices, and they weren't pretty.

"Either we cut off your arm, or you do."

"Screw you and your little bitch!" the woman screamed at Dawn.

"Smart-ass whore!" Gorman said as he moved to hit her, but dawn sent him away. Dr. Edwards moved to give her anesthetic but the Woman kicked him and told him to go to hell. When he went to apply it again, Dawn held up her hand.

"She made her choice. Do it."

The woman screamed and told Edwards to go away but Dawn kept insisting, telling her that she wasn't going to let her turn. Beth looked at a scalpel left on a tray and thought about grabbing it, killing Dawn and getting out of the hospital. But she still needed to find Sophia, she couldn't make her move yet. Soon, but not yet.

Dawn made Beth hold the woman down, she made a show, cringing at the blood and the woman's screams. She didn't like them, or what they were doing, but she wasn't concerned with her, only Sophia, and getting out, back to Sam.

* * *

Noah was a nice boy. Tried to cheer her up. And he told her the truth, about how the place really worked. They took people that didn't seem a threat, people that wouldn't pose problems.

 _Use your size to your advantage. Your small, skinny, I don't mean that as an insult Lass, but it's true. Now other people, they won't think you're a threat, they'll underestimate you, and that'll work for you. Now, come on, hit me._

She smiled at the thought. Sam had taught her how to fight. To throw a punch and use a knife correctly. He had told her what was what. She appreciated all of the lessons, even if she did feel sore for weeks on end and her knuckles began to bleed from the punishment that they had taken.

She laughed a bit when Sam had first accidentally hit her. They were training and Sam ducked one of her punches and rolled. She threw her entire body into one of her punches and he reached on instinct grabbing the arm and sending his fist into her gut. His eyes went wide and he pulled back saying that he was sorry over and over again. He called off the training and was practically walking on eggshells the entire week. Eventually she got him to see that she knew that he didn't mean it and the training resumed.

She went back to looking for Sophia and came up empty again. Eventually they had her mixing water with vinegar so they had cleaner for the floors. Dawn came in with a tray of food, calling it a peace treaty, but Beth refused once more saying that she didn't want to stay a moment longer than Dawn made her. Dawn patted the seat next to her motioning for Beth to sit, which she reluctantly did.

"You shouldn't see this as a sentence." Dawn told her softy. "I'm giving you food, clothes, protection, for you and that little girl. When have those things ever been free?"

"I had them when I was out there. With Sam." Dawn chuckled, as if Beth had told a really bad joke.

"With Sam, that man you were asking about. Let me ask you, did you two sleep together."

Beth held her firm gaze. "Yes. But I—"

"Wanted to? Beth, I'm a cop, do you know how many times women who have been abused have said that it was their fault?"

"Sam never abused me! He protected me, and Sophia!"

"Then where was he that night?" She continued before Beth could. "Try to look at the good we're doing here. Hard as it was, we saved Joan's life. Trevitt's life, your life, and Sophia's. I'm keeping all of us going here. That is not a small thing. It's taken a lot to get us here, Beth. And I believe that what we had before all of this isn't over."

"It's not," Beth told her. "But this isn't how we get it back. Not by holding people against their will. By making them scared of the outside. That's just how we make things worse."

"I believe that when we are finally rescued, we're going to need to rebuild."

"You don't really think someone's coming for us?" Beth asked her, her eyes narrowed.

"There's still people like us, Beth. People trying to keep the world alive, to fix it. Until then, we all have to contribute. To compromise. If we take, we give back, it's only fair. So, keep working off what you owe, and you'll be out of here in no time. If that's what you want."

"It is!"

"Well then you have to eat. And as soon as you work off what you owe you can leave. And when that little girl wakes she'll do the same," Beth blinked at what dawn had just said. "Yes, she needs to work as well. No free rides, even for kids."

Beth glared daggers into dawn and took a bite out of the food she had brought, leaving Beth alone.

* * *

She had found her. Sophia was being kept in a room on the other side of the hospital where Beth slept. All she had to do was slowly lower the dosage of the sedatives that they were giving Sophia and then they would be able to escape.

When she got back to her room, or cell, she looked for the lollipop that she had found in her clothes the day previous when Gorman came into her room with the exact lollipop. He teased her in what he must have thought was a flirtatious manner, but Beth felt disgusted. He put the lollipop in his mouth and smiled at her, before asking if she wanted a taste. Beth shook her head not and backed up. _Anything can be used as a weapon._ She grasped the sheet and imagined wrapping it around Gorman'sthroat and strangling him, when Dr. Edwards came into the room telling Gorman to stand down.

"She should have been mine," Gorman didn't even try and hide the malice or lust from his voice.

"Nobody's yours. And if you think you're getting Joan back—"

"Oh, I'll get her back." Gorman looked back at Beth and winked before leaving the room.

When they left and the officers were out of ear shot Beth turned to the doctor.

"Why do you even stay? Or let them be in charge? They need you, everyone needs you. You could leave, you could even lead! Why don't you?" Beth demanded of the man. He paused for a minute, thinking of his answer, before he motioned for her to follow him. He led her to the ground floor of the Hospital and then to a large

There was a large window that was barred and the Doctor began to rattle a pipe on it. Walkers began appearing and crowding the small space.

"When I think about it too much, I come down here and look at this."

"Why'd you bring me here?" Beth asked, not looking away from the Walkers.

"You asked why I stay."

"I also asked why you don't run this place. You could. You could help people, take people in who know how to protect themselves, not cower from the police. You could be a doctor again, not killing anyone because Dawn doesn't like 'em. You could do good again."

He paused, then looked at the Walkers. Taking in the view. Beth thought she was getting somewhere. Sam had said that the quickest way for a group to be destroyed, wasn't from outside forces, but from within itself. He told her how, after the farm they were going to be fine but then people began to panic and said that they would leave, and that would have made the group split, not the Walkers, or raiders, but themselves.

Dr. Edwards gave Beth another look, one that she couldn't read, and then walked away. She followed him and he began to tell her of when the city had fallen and the way the things were now, as well as how Dawn had come to power.

When she left Dr. Edwards told her that Mr. Trevitt was stable and due for another 75mg of Clozapine. Beth nodded and went back to work. She made her way to the room, and saw the man lying motion less on the table. She prepared the medicine and put it into his blood stream. Noah came by just as the man began to convulse and seize.

* * *

Noah had taken the fall for her. As noble as it was, or stupid, Beth now owed him. No matter what Sam had said, she still felt that to some people, she would owe things. And Noah had just earned himself on that list.

After they had dealt with Trevitts body Beth moved back to her room, preferring the silence that it offered. When Dawn came by she shut the door and walked slowly to Beth.

"You really think I didn't know? Noah's smart. Probably my best worker. But that story he told about the ventilator? Boy's not much of a liar." Beth kept her mouth shut and her arm gripped a bunch of the sheets tightly. "I had to beat that boy because of you. A good man's mistakes almost ended everything for us, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen again. Every sacrifice we make, needs to be for the greater good. The second it isn't, the second we lose sight of that, it's all over. The thing is, you're not the greater good. You're not strong enough."

"I am strong," Beth almost screamed at her. "Sam taught me how to be—"

"The man who raped you? The man who made you depend on him?"

"He _never_ would have done that to me!"

"Then you are a fool too then! How many people had to risk their lives to save you? In here you are part of a system." Dawn got closer and Beth could see a spark of madness in her eyes. "The wards keep my officers happy. The happier my officers are, the harder they work to keep us going. And this hasn't been easy. There have been compromises, but it's working." Beth could tell that the woman wanted so desperately to believe her own words. "And after they rescue us, we're going to help put the world back together. Because we're the ones holding on! That's the good we're doing here. That's the good you're doing here. That's what makes you worth something. But out there… you are nothing."

 _Remember Beth, people 'll try to get you to believe whatever it is that they want, never believe them, but make them think you do._ Those words rang through her head and she willed herself to tear up.

"Except dead or somebody's burden."

"Bullshit," Beth growled.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you waiting for that man that night, with the girl? Because you felt like you needed him, because he took care of you!" Dawn took a breath and looked softly at Beth. "Some people just aren't cut out for this life, and that's okay. As long as they don't take advantage of the ones who are."

Dawn turned to leave and Beth grabbed the sheets and lifted them. _But remember, always save your strength. If you know you can't win then pull back, retreat and attack when you can. And when you do, make sure that they won't be bothering you anytime soon_

Beth threw the sheet over Dawns head and forced the woman to the floor. She twisted the sheet into a knot and pulled tightly. Dawn struggled and tried to grab Beth but she simply pulled tighter. A few of Dawns blows knocked Beth on her sides, and she knew that she would bruise, but what were a few bruises compared to getting out. When Dawns body went limp Beth grabbed her gun and spare mags. She put her fingers against Dawn's neck and found a rapid pulse signaling that she was alive. Beth considered killing her, but the shot would simply draw attention.

She got up and made her way out of the room careful to look around the hallways before leaving. She walked carefully, avoiding any officers as well as the other wards. Alost twice she found herself almost found, but luck seemed to be on her side as she made it to the laundry room. Noah was in there pressing shirts, his face bloody and one eye forced shut by the swelling.

"What are you—"

"Shhh! I need your help."

Noah seemed confused, and then he saw her gun. "Where's you get that?"

"Dawn."

"How"

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" He didn't say anything. "I thought so. Listen, I need to get the girl I arrived with we can get out. But I can't carry her and shoot. I need your help."

Noah actually smiled, and Beth knew why. This what the moment that he had been waiting for. A chance to escape and be free of the officers, away from the quasi slavery that had taken place.

"Let's do this."

The two of them reached Sophia's room with no problem seeing as a woman had killed herself and the officers were responding to react to her turned body. Noah picked up the body and together the three, well two, and one unconscious, made it to the only place that led out, a guarded stairway. There were only two officers there, both of them men, and Beth took a deep breath. She came out of cover and aimed the gun.

 _If you ever need to kill someone, then do it quick. Take a breath and act, don't think, because thinking will get you killed._

She pulled the trigger and one of the men took a bullet to the chest, blood splattering and he fell to the ground. The other didn't have time to pull his rifle before Beth dropped him as well. She knelt down and grabbed their pistols. She was going for their mags when she heard footsteps. She and Noah got to the bottom of the steps quickly, Sophia began to stir and Beth began saying that it would be alright, everything would be fine.

When they reached the outside of the building, Beth focused on shooting the Walkers that had amassed outside of the building. Officers came out and tried to stop them, but the two of them had made it to the fence, and slipped out. They had made it.

* * *

Sam couldn't believe that he was in Atlanta. The car that he and Carol had followed had led them straight there. They had spent the night in s battered family shelter and were now scouring the city for any sign of whomever had taken Beth. He tried not to show it but he was anxious.

They had just finished scouring a small office space when they were help up by a dark-skinned after sacking an office building.

"Lay down your rifle!" He ordered them.

"No."

"Look, nobody has to get hurt. We just need weapons!"

"We?" Sam's brow lifted. "You with the fucks that kidnapping people? Doesn' seem to be anyone else in this goddamn city."

The boy paused but kept his rifle up. "You know about them?"

"Aye. They took two people away from me."

The boy seemed to look Sam over. "A-are you Sam?"

"Excuse me?"

The boy smiled and lowered the rifle. "Oh my god! They're gonna be so happy."

"Sam grabbed the gun and pulled the boy in close. "Who's gonna be happy? You have two seconds before I slit your fucking throat, so start talking!"

"I know Beth! And Sophia! They helped me escape! I came out scavenging!" The boy said quickly. "We needed supplies! You two looked tough I thought you would be fine if—"

"If you took from us? News flash, airsehole, you should have killed us!"

"You had a dog! You were in a funeral home when they got taken. You can play the piano and your las name is Conall! I know Beth, I'll take you to her!"

Sam was half tempted to kill the bastard right there, but didn't. It was too much, too detailed for him not to have known Beth. Besides, he could always kill the bastard later.

The boy handed Carol back the rifle and Sam stopped her from killing him before he showed them where they supposedly had Beth and Sophia. HE led them through several side streets, Sam keeping a grip on his rifle and making sure that the rooftops were clear. When they reached a door, Noah paused when he saw that it was kicked in.

"Oh no," he checked the door and saw that there was a large indent near the place between the lock and door. The signs of a battering ram.

"What happened?' Sam's hand wrapped around the pommel of his sword, ready to kill the boy.

"They found us! I-I thought I covered my tracks! I thought we were safe!"

Sam felt the urge to kill him, but saw the look on his face, his eyes. It wasn't the eyes of a killer. His were softer, less mad, calmer. If he were going to kill them and then take their stuff, he would have done it when they first met.

"Where? Where are they?"

"We can't." Noah said. "They have guns. And people. We can't take them."

"Okay," Sam turned and began walking in the direction of the car where he and Carol had hidden the car.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the Calvary!"

He was ready to wage war for those two girls.

* * *

AN: Okay my have gotten a but corny at the end, but oh well. Yes, they escaped and then Beth and Sophia were then captured again! I know, but don't worry Sam and Beth will meet again next chapter, though it may be cut short, or maybe it won't I don't know! Don't forget to review, please and I will see you next time! ~Pacco1.


	25. Examples

Ch. 25

"At sundown, we'll fire shot into the sir, get two of them out on patrol. Then once it's dark enough, that the rooftop spotter won't see us, we go. We cut the locks on one of the stairways, take it to the fifth floor. I'll open the door, Sam takes the guards out."

"How?" Tyreese interrupted Ricks briefing.

"I slit the fuckers throat." Sam said as he looked at the hand drawn map that Noah had made. "We need to keep it quiet, they figure out we're out there then who knows what they'll do. This Dawn person sounds like an unstable bitch."

"Exactly. From there we'll fan out, silenced weapons and knives. We need to be fast. Tyreese, Sasha, take them. Daryl and Carol, you take whoever is in the kitchen. Sam and I got Dawn." Rick said as he made marks on the map. "If they're smart, the rest of them will give up. Then it'll be five on three—"

"Six on three when we get a weapon to Beth."

"Thirteen on three. The Wards and Dr. Edwards will help," Noah said.

"That's best case. What's worst case?" Tyreese asked. "All it takes is one of those cops going down the wrong hall at the wrong time. Then it's not quiet. All hands-on deck. We talking about a lot of bullets flying around."

"Then so be it," Sam said. "If that's what it takes."

"It's not. If we get a couple of her cops, alive out here, we do an even trade. Theirs for ours. Everybody goes home."

"They won't do that," Sam said. "Beth killed a few cops when she escaped for the first time. They won't let her go, the people 'll question Dawn's leadership if she does that. We need to do things this way if we're gonna have any chance of getting them out."

* * *

Beth kicked and screamed as several officers dragged her down the hall towards Dawn office. She could feel several of the officer's hands roaming her body every few seconds. She recognized a few faces, Gorman and O'Donnell were among the two. They opened the door and threw her inside, Beth looked up and saw Dawn sitting behind her desk looking bored.

"Why do you do this Beth? You could have been safe, been Dr. Edwards Ward and nothing would have happened. Yet, you persisted to ruin the way things work. I have officers questioning me, people are whispering about how I shouldn't lead anymore! And it is your fault!" Dawn took a breath and composed herself. "Starting tonight, you will be Gorman's Ward. I'm sorry you've led me to this."

Beth fought back the tears, knowing what being Gorman's Ward would entail. "What about Sophia?"

"She'll be my Ward. I do need someone to replace Noah after all." Dawn leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply. "I hate this, punishing you, but you and everyone else need to know that there are consequences to their actions."

Beth cracked a watery smile. "Tell yourself that. And keep telling yourself that, maybe it'll bring you some comfort when you die."

Dawn smile disappeared. "I'll give you until tonight before I tell Gorman."

* * *

They showed up quickly. Sam smiled as he drew his gun and snuck up on the officers. They were cuffing Noah telling him that he wasn't as smart as they thought thinking that they wouldn't hear them, then the other officer asked where the Walkers he was shooting at were, that was when Sam stepped out.

"Hello there!" He said loudly, the others covering the officers with their guns. "Hi there, my names Samuel Conall, and unfortunately for you lot, we're gonna need to see your hands."

"What do you want?" the female officer asked.

"Whatever this is, we can help."

"Oh, I doubt that," Sam smiled brightly. "Do what we say, and we don't hurt you.

The officer must've seen the gravity of Sam's threat and raised his arms and gun.

"Good! Now, turn around. Guns on the floor and kneel!" The complied and Rick and the others walked forward to claim their guns and bind them. Noah told them that the lead officer's name was Lamson, and that he was one of the good ones. Sam doubted it though, group that crazy, probably no good ones left.

Just as they were going to drag them inside, a car pulled out and began firing at them. Most of the group dove for cover and the officers pilled in with the driver fired blindly keeping them pinned down. As they drove off Sasha popped out of cover and shot one of the wheels.

They chased after the car, finding it in the remnants of a F.E.M.A camp, burnt bodies of Walkers all over the place, and the car abandoned. They stuck close together, their formation tight and their guns up. Flies buzzed around the walkers and Sam tried desperately to keep the smell from getting to him.

They caught the cops, though am could tell that Rick was slipping a bit, understandable considering what was happening. Sam was still disappointed that they had decided to go the route of negotiation rather than execution, but he couldn't argue with the whole group. Well he could, not that he would get anywhere.

* * *

"Your friend what's his name?" The female cop asked. "I need to talk to him. Your plan is going to get me and my friends killed."

"If that's what your scared of, you don't want to know the original plan," Sam muttered as they led the cops.

"We're gonna make it work," Sasha told her.

"It would work if you had different cops to trade. Dawns running Grady into the ground. A bunch of us want her out and she knows it. We've been planning a mutiny with Dr. Edwards, pretty sure she knows we are, and that we want Lamson to replace her too."

"Dr. Edwards is planning a mutiny?" Noah asked.

The officer nodded. "If was actually the new girl that put him up to it. She got him to think that Grady could be a hospital again, he came to Lamson, who came to more of us."

Sam looked the cops over. "How many are in on it?"

She shrugged. "Most of us I think. Gorman and O'Donnell are the only ones that might back Dawn, and even then, O'Donnell knows which Horse to bet on. So, if you let us go—"

"Not gonna happen. No guarantee, no benefit for us. Listen, if you really do have a plan for taking this bitch out, then let us in. Because one way or another, I'm going in and getting Sophia, and Beth back."

"Then let me help," Lamson said quickly. "No one has to die."

"That's where you're wrong. Noah told me that this, Gorman character, he's been eyeing Beth up, and harassing her. So, I do need to kill him. Other than that, well, you can do what you like."

* * *

Beth avoided most of the Wards and officers the rest of the day. She had been trying to find anything in her room to use as a weapon, but Dawn had taken anything remotely sharp from her room. She knew what kind of man Gorman was, and she would bedamned if she simply let him have her. She would be damned _if_ he had her.

There was a knock at her door and she braced herself against her bed. She ran through her options for a weapon and settled on a bit of wiring she had found hanging out of an outlet. The hospital was out of power, only car batteries ran the equipment. She held it behind her back and faced forward. Leave it to Dawn to tell Gorman that she was his ward before the time she said.

The door creaked open and Beth braced herself for a fight, her hands tensing the wire behind her. Gorman would probably try and be his version of suave, so she would pretend to be impressed, then strangle him when his guard was down. She felt bile rise in her throat. She had already killed two people, and now she was going to kill her third. How could things be that easy, how could she already be ready to kill and not even flinch.

A man walked into the room, and Beth sighed involuntarily. It was Dr. Edwards.

"Beth, oh God, are you alright?" Dr. Edwards asked, closing the door behind him.

"I'm fine. Have you seen Sophia?"

Edwards shook his head and removed his glasses. "No. I haven't. Dawn wouldn't even let me look at her. She thinks that I had something to do with the three of you escaping. She losing it, and it's only a matter of time before she loses control."

"What do we do?" Beth asked him, desperately hoping that he had an answer.

"I'm not sure."

"She's giving me to Gorman."

Edwards stopped and looked over in shock. "What? She's giving you to _him?_ What is she thinking?"

"That I need to be made an example. Like you said, she's losing her touch. If I can rebel, what's stopping the others?"

Edwards stood up quickly. "Stay here! I'm going to talk to her, try and get her not to give you to Gorman."

* * *

Edwards didn't succeed. At least, that's what Beth thought. If he had then he probably would have told her, instead, she was alone in her room. Locked in and forced to listen to the other Wards on the other side of the door. The sun was setting, she could see it disappearing over the tops of the building, and the sky was now a light pink-orange.

She had found a few more wires in the outlet, yanked them out as quietly as she could, stripped the copper of their plastic wrappings and made a makeshift knife. No, knife was too kind a word for a handful of copper strands that she would try and jam into Gorman's throat. It didn't matter anyway, it was a weapon that she would use to kill her would be rapist.

She could hear him coming. His footsteps would be the only ones out at the hour. They were fast and she could practically see his eager face as he walked toward the room. He must've been so giddy, he had been waiting a long while to get her. To finally have a replacement for Joan, his last Ward that killed herself.

The door opened quietly, and she gripped her weapon behind her back tightly. A boot appeared, then another, and finally, Gorman stood tall in the doorway, a vicious, yet victorious smirk on his face.

"Hello there darlin'," he took a step forward and reached out for her. Beth's first instinct was to slash it, but all it would do was give away her weapon. "You look nervous. Don't worry, I get it."

Beth took a step back and tried to steady her berthing. Gorman simply smiled and cupped her cheek, leaving Beth with a feeling of disgust and her stomach in knots as she tried to grasp the situation. She readied the weapon and was ready to rid the world of the horror that was Gorman, when he grabbed her head and suddenly pushed her on the bed. The weapon fell from her hands and clattered on the floor. Gorman looked down at it and actually smiled.

"Were you going to try and kill me? Now that's pretty fucking funny. I mean, you? _You?_ Jesus, you really are some dumb bitch." He held her down and climbed on top of her. His hand snaked itself under her blue scrubs and he laughed as he grouped her breasts. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

Beth cred out as he buried his face in her neck, biting the flesh underneath. His hands were rough and calloused, irritating her nipples and she tried to force him off of her but he was too heavy. He laughed at her attempts to push him off and continued to force himself on her. He began to rotate his hips and she felt him hardening from the friction. With the movement, though her legs were now somewhat free.

Her knee buckled but, hitting him right on his manhood. Gorman cried out and fell off of her. Beth scrambled to find the weapon checking the floor quickly. She heard Gorman swear and get to his feet. She looked underneath the bed, seeing a glint of copper she grinned and reached for it. Her hand brushed against the smooth metallic surface and just as she was about to grasp it, Gorman had grabbed her.

"You bitch!" Gorman screamed, he raised his hand and smacked her across the face, turning her unstitched cheek bright red with promises of a bruise. "You're gonna fucking pay for that!"

He unbuckled his pants and ripped her shirt open, laughing madly the entire time. Beth reached for the weapon trying desperately to grab it. She willed her arm to grow for her to gain the force, something, _anything_ that would keep what was about to happen from happening.

Gorman saw her movement s and grabbed the weapon and tossed it across the room. And just like that, any hope that Beth had, was tossed across the room with the weapon.

"Now hold still!" Gorman shouted, reaching for her pants. Beth cried for help, hoping that the other Wards would help her. "No one's coming for you!"

* * *

AN: Okay... yeah sorry about that. So I should have the next chapter up by today or tomorrow. Review please. ~Pacco1


	26. Saved Strength

Ch. 26

Beth kept struggling. The man was heavier and stronger but she wouldn't let him. Even if no one was coming for her she knew that she had to keep him away. Maybe some of the officers would grow a conscience or the Wards a spine.

Gorman seemed to get annoyed at her struggling and gripped her neck tightly. He lifted her up and threw her across the room.

"You're not making things easy for yourself!" Gorman said as he stalked over to her. He removed his belt and dropped it to the floor. Beth was crawling away sobbing shouting for him to stop which made Gorman smile, he enjoyed that part.

He gabbed her by the neck and pulled her up looking her in the eye. Despite the tear stained cheeks, the red surrounding her blue irises, despite the fact that her shirt was torn open and he had just had her on the ground, she still had an unruly amount of defiance in her eyes. She mumbled something, and even though they were standing close together he couldn't understand her.

His grip tightened. "What'd you say?"

Beth spat in his face and Gorman felt something plunge into his side. He dropped her and reached for whatever had pierced him. Beth scrambled away and hs hand gripped a batch of copper wires tightly before he pulled them out. But how could she have gotten them? Gorman had thrown them to the side before he pinned her. But then he had thrown her as well.

He heard screaming and then felt something wrap around his neck before it squeezed. He grabbed whatever it was and felt the fabric tighten and his eyes began to bulge from his head.

"Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!" Beth screamed as Gorman began to fall unconscious from lack of air.

There was a pounding at the door and Beth kept pulling the sheet around his neck tightly. She remembered Sam's words, _always save your strength. If you know you can't win then pull back, retreat and attack when you can. And when you do, make sure that they won't be bothering you anytime soon._

The pounding on the door intensified and Beth slammed Gorman's head onto the hard tile. Blood began to ooze out of his mouth and he began to gurgle trying to beg through the blood for her to stop even as the back of his skull began to break and cave in.

The door crashed open and Beth grabbed the bundle of copper wire out of Gorman and turned, the improvised weapon raised in her hand. Two officers stood there, guns out but not looking at Beht, their eyes instead drawn to their now dead comrade lying on the ground. Beth backe away slowly, she knew she woulldn't be able to take them, they had body armor, guns, and all she had was a bundle of wire and a torn open shirt.

"What are ya' doing? We need to find-"

"We just did!" the male officer said quickly. "In here!"

There was the rush of footsteps and the officers backed away from the door. Another man came in, he had the beginnings of a beard, and his hair was a shaggy mess. His grey eyes went wide and he almost dropped the rifle that he had held in his hands. He smiled and took several steps forward and Beth was quick to slash at him with the wires which he dodged so Beth swung her fist nearly connecting with his jaw.

"Beth! No! It's me!" She kicked and screamed, trying to scratch and hit him, simply wound him however he could. "It's me!"

"No! No! Get back!" Beth kneed him in his groin causing the man to yell out in pain and fall to his knees.

"Son of a bitch! Beth! It's Sam!" She paused and looked down at him. Her blue wyes filling with a fresh batch of tears.

"S-Sam?"

"Aye, it's me!" She got off of him and Sam got up. "Jaysus lass. You think you were trying to kill me."

Beth smiled faintly and jumped up hugging him tightly. She forgot about Dawn and the other officers, she forgot about the two men that she had killed and what Gorman had come to do. She forgot about her blood covered arms and torn open shirt. They had found each other.

* * *

"Dawn come on out!" Lamson said as he and the other officers gathered outside of her office. Dr. Edwards and the other Wards were there as well, desperate to see the fall of their oppressor.

"You goddamn traitors!" Dawn screamed at them. "Everything that I've done has been to make this place work, _everything_!"

"Dawn! Don't make us shoot in there!"

"I have a hostage! You all remember that little girl we brought in with that blonde bitch! I have her! Say hello sweetheart!" There was nothing and for a split second Lamson and the others thought that Dawn was bluffing. Then there was a smack and a little girl yeled.

"Fuck!" Lamson growled out. "What do you want?"

"Put your guns down!"

"No!"

"I'll kill her! You know I will!"

"Dawn! You are not getting this place back!"

"I don't expect to! I want a car, food weapons! Give me that and I'll let the girl go!"

Lamson looked at the others and they seemed to hesitate on the offer. Lamson then looked to Rick and his group and they all nodded to him.

"Alright Dawn, we'll give it to you!"

* * *

The car was ready, the food was packed. Dawn had come out of her office with Sophia in her arms and a gun to the little girl's head. Sophia stood as tall as she could, but the people could see tears welling up in her eyes. Beth gripped the handle of her recovered machete tightly. She had never liked Dawn, but seeing the officer standing with a gun to Sophia's head made her want to drive the machete into the woman's head.

Carol stood off to the side her gun up and a shot lined up with Dawns head as were Sam, Daryl, and Rick. The other officers had their guns up and aimed but Beth knew that if anything were to happen, it would be her group that would fire first.

Dawn nervously walked through the halls, her gun constantly twitching and her eyes darting from person to person. She held Sophia close, almost like a shield. She mocked the other officers and shouted insults at them as she walked through the halls.

Sophia kept her mouth shut and followed whatever direction eh was dragged in. Beth nodded to her and Sophia nodded back. Dawn glared at Beth but kept her mouth shut for some reason.

When they were close to the end of the hall and Sophia began to sow a bit and Dawn yanked her along. Beth raised an eye at that and suddenly she and Sophia locked eyes for a split second and winked.

Sophia raised a leg and kicked Dawn in the front of her knee, a sickening crack sounded through the hall and Dawn fell to the ground screaming. Sophia ran from dawn and toward the crowd of armed police and group members when a crack sounded through the hall.

Blood splattered out of Sophia's scrubs as a bullet went straight through her. And then another, and anther. Sophia fell to the ground and Carol screamed out. Everyone else fired their guns, sending multiple holes into Dawn.

* * *

They walked out of Grady in a haze. Carol carried Sophia's body herself, refusing to let anyone else touch the body. Sam felt salty tears rolling down hs face, and no one said a word when Abrahams group showed up. Maggie ran up to Beth wanting to hug her, but when she had seen Sophia dead in her mothers arms, she broke down.

Bastard walked up to them and barked eagerly, but then sniffed the air and ran over to Carol. One of Sophia's arms was hanging limply by her side, he gently nipped it and when he got no response whimpered quietly.

* * *

AN: Okay, I know it's short, but I've been going through some shit. My parents were at the concert that was shot up in Vegas, so that was why I couldn't get this chapterup sooner. I'll probably rework this chapter to make it up to quality, I just needed to do something to get my mind off of things. I'll see you guys next time.


	27. Nightmare

Ch. 27

Gabriel had given Sophia a service outside of his church. Sam had dug the grave with Carol. She had been silent through the entire thing, though Sam could feel her glaring at the back of his skull as they reached six feet.

The Service had been brief, but nice. As nice as a funeral could be. There was no eulogy, no one wanted to say anything, no could say anything. Sophia was a kind girl, and brave if her death had anything to say about it, foolish, but brave.

They had left soon after, not wanting to stay where so much blood had been shed and buried. Sam shared a vehicle with the Father, Beth, and Merle. He drove and Merle rode shotgun with and actual shotgun. Noah had wanted to ride with them, but he was instead taken in the lead vehicle with Rick, Michonne, Ty, and Carl.

Carol rode in the middle vehicle with Abraham, Rosita, Glenn, Maggie, Tara, and Sasha. Sam had driven for the first few days of the trip, managing to stay awake for the first two day stretch that they had driven. They were in central South Carolina, with minimal difficulties, mainly a Herd of Walkers that they needed to avoid, and a hunt that Daryl and Merle conducted.

On the third day of the trip Merle drove and Sam rested in the backseat getting some of the best rests that he had gotten in weeks. The blissful dreamless sleep was therapeutic to him, simply being able to check out for a few hours, nothing required or expected. It was beautiful.

He woke up when Merle slammed on the breaks and the was thrown forward against the seats in front of him.

"Ah, what the fuck Merle?" He shouted sitting up.

"Wake up Paddy Reilly!"

"We there?"

Merle snorted. "You wish! Nah, we need to find some fuel, Rick's is almost gone ad we got the most fuel. I volunteered us."

"How kind of you." Sam noticed that the rest of the car was empty meaning that they were already on their way to get gas. "Was everyone alright with you jus' taking me on a run while I was asleep?"

"'course! Though Blondie did make a bit of a fuss."

Sam sighed and rubbed the last bit of sleep from his eyes. "You took off before anyone could say anything didn't you?"

"You know me so well."

* * *

They came across a gas station with surprisingly very few cars in the lot. Sam and Merle strode up to the cars casually, their weapons held loosely in their hands, but their heads were still on swivel. There were only three cars and one was burnt to a husk with a body still in the driver seat charred and covered in flies. The other cars were in decent shape, only the rust and dried blood were the only indication of something wrong. Well that ad the complete abandonment of the place.

The gas station itself was simple, four two-sided gas pumps, and a small store where people could buy snacks for the road. The windows were smashed and dry blood covered them, but Sam thought that there still might be something in there.

"Check the store, I'll look for gas in the cars," Merle ordered the young Irishmen.

Sam complied, not seeing any reason to complain and made is way to the smashed window of the store. He tapped his sword against the metal frame of the store and waited. One second… two… three… clear. He entered the small shop, careful not to drop his guard, and began looking though the mostly empty shelves of snack foods. He found a few unopened potato chip packets and two bottles of something that had been near and dear to his heart for years. Guinness. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Merle was still gathering gas from the cars and pumps, so he opened his back pack and carefully wrapped the beers in his shirts s that they would be semi-protected, and not make too much noise.

He walked back out and Merle had just finished the syphoning.

"Anything?"

"Few bags of chips, nothing else really. How much gas?"

"Decent 'mount. Should get up to North Carolina." Merle paused and looked at the Irishmen. "You doing alight?"

"Sure."

"Come on Paddy. I mean really. Are you alright?"

"I—" Sam paused and took a shuddered breath. "No. It was my—"

"Fuck that Sam! It wasn't your fault! You did everything you could to save those girls!"

"But I only saved one! Sophia didn't deserve to die! I should have been smarter, I shouldn't have opened the door, I shou—"

Merle swung his fist and Sam backed away quickly dodging the fist. "Goddamn it! Paddy don't play that game! You think that cop bitch was gonna let Sophia go, then you're even more stupid then I thought! Jesus kid wake up!"

"So, what? I should jus' forget about it? Jus' forget about the girl that I got killed?"

"No! You remember her. You remember her every day, and you make sure that you don't ever let that happen again."

"Guess I'm jus' not like you Merle."

"Good. Don't be. I'm a piece of shit kid, and I've done some messed up shit. Don't be me, but you gotta remember that you're human."

* * *

They had decided to pull into an abandoned motel for the night staying on the second floor and barricading the stair entrances. Where Sam would have usually felt safe in such a place all he felt was bitter regret. He lugged his and Beth's things into a room while Daryl managed to climb onto the roof and stood on over watch.

Bastard had curled up on a couch and was already sleeping blissfully. Most of the others were doing the same, though based on the sounds coming from Abraham and Rosita's room, as well as Glenn and Maggie, not everyone was eager to get to sleep.

Sam put his rifle so that it was resting on the night stand, and took a seat on the bed. The springs squeaked lightly as he put his weight on the bed but he groaned as it was the softest bed he had in a while. He heard the springs squeak again and the weight of the bed shifted.

"You alrigh'?" Sam asked Beth softly. "I know I didn't really ask you about—

"I'm fine. I had it planned out, somewhat. I wanted his guard down. Just like you taught me."

Sam smiled a bit, and popped his neck before he laid on the bed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you—"

"Don't," she said quickly, "Please? I know already, but, I don't want to hear you say it. I know you Samuel Conall. You'd never do anything to hurt me, and if you'd have known about those guys waiting for us, you'd have never left my side."

* * *

Sam put pressure on Sophia's wound, but the blood kept overflowing. Sophia screaming in pain and begging him to help her, but he didn't know what to do. Gut shots weren't treatable, and she was already going into shock.

He looked around the hospital for anyone that might be able to help him, but the hall was empty. Sophia cried and cried, but there was simply nothing that Sam could do. He felt tears sting his eyes and he let out a roar in frustration. He wasn't a medic, he wasn't a doctor, he didn't know first aid for bullet wounds. He was…

"You're a killer," Sophia said softly. "You killed me."

And Sam woke up screaming.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! So, my family is alright, thank God! I'll be trying to get back to regular updates, but college is getting a bit busy right now, so be warned that there might be some down time between updates. But, if you guys want to read something Zombie related while you are waiting and then check out my other account on FictionPress! Please? It has Sam and a few other characters that I love and created so check it out, _The Old World_ by D.A. Silva. Anyway, so here's the next one, they will start being longer once I get back into the swing of writing stories and not essays, so keep that in mind. I will see you all next time! Review and heck out my other story on FictionPress! ~Pacco1


	28. The Road

Ch. 28

AN: Okay, so, time is a fickle thing. Now I'm assuming that they were on the road for months before they finally reached Alexandria so this chapter kind of reflects that. Overall this chapter reflects about five months of time and I'm not going to be putting a bunch of Month one, Month two stuff, so yeah. Any questions review or PM me. Have fun!

The whetstone was run along the edge of Sam's blade as the car shambled into a parking space at a rest stop. Merle kept his head forward and, like everyone else, didn't say a word about Sam screaming in his sleep. Beth had tried broaching the subject but was shot down by a glare. The others realized that if she couldn't get to him, then they had a better chance of getting a Walker to stand down.

Rick took a select group to Noah's community, leaving Sam and most of the others a safe distance away should anything go wrong. Rick had asked if Sam had wanted to go, only to be met with silence. That was how it had been for the past few hours since Rick had left, Sam would sit down near a tree where they had parked, sulking, sharpening his sword to a fine razor-sharp edge.

Merle sat in the driver's seat, twirling his knife between his fingers while the others discussed amongst themselves. Carol though, she sat by herself, much like Sam. She would glance over at the boy every so often, her anger spiking, along with her guilt. Sophia was dead. The words rang through her head loudly. She had been there, she had seen it happen. But when it had happened, when _her_ daughter had been in the arms of a stranger, who did she call out to? Not her, not her own mother, but Sam, a boy that she had only known for less than a year.

She had been honest with herself though. She had been a horrible mother. She never protected Sophia from Ed, she had been frail and weak when it had all started, and into the first few months. When Sophia had gone missing, Sam had rescued her, while she had cried herself into a stupor. She didn't even challenge Rick when he had told her to leave. What kind of a mother would do that?

But that didn't change the facts. The man she had entrusted to protect her daughter, failed, just like she had. Her daughter, her beautiful baby girl, was dead and buried. She had heard Sam, they all had, she knew about the nightmares, just like the ones she had. She couldn't hate him though, he had tried, lord knows he did, but he had failed, just like she had.

* * *

Sam wasn't all that surprised when Noah's settlement had turned out to be a death trap. The herds seemed to be thicker in the area as they went further north. If it had been up to him, they wouldn't have left Georgia. If it were up to him they would have found a place to hole-up and defend. Maybe then they wouldn't have lost Tyreese.

They had pulled up for the night, the group silent, and in mourning again. Father Gabriel had given a standard service, reciting a prayer and blessing the man. Sam had his pistol laid out in front of him, cleaning it to a near perfect shine just as Rick had taught him to. He slid all of the pieces together after he had greased it, and then tested the slide, making sure that it slid back and forth effortlessly.

The orange flames of the fire danced back and forth in the night. He could feel the cold winds rising and held back a shiver as he leaned forward, hoping to get more warmth. Gabriel had said that it had been October what had felt like a few weeks ago. It was probably November, mid to late. Sam didn't know much about Virginia, but he felt that it might snow, but then again, it might not. A bit of a downside of being a foreigner in the apocalypse.

He felt his left shoulder get nudged and looked over. Beth was holding out a bowl of what appeared to be crushed acorns, and from the look of Bastard, it seemed to be good. He took the bowl and began scooping it out with his hand, his assessment of the food, if it could be called that, being completely wrong.

"You okay?" He kept eating, hoping that Beth would drop it. "Sam, you can talk to me. I know what you're going through. Please?"

"No." Sam's voice was hoarse and his throat felt almost immediately dry. Others looked up shocked, and then back down when Sam glared.

"Please?" Beth said, bit relieved that he had spoken finally.

He reached out and scratched bastard behind the ears, the mutt leaned in and let out a soft bark of appreciation.

"I don't get it," Abraham said a bit too loudly. "We don't need that thing, just another mouth to feed. Why shouldn't we get some—"

"Finish that, you'll be eating your own teeth," Sam growled out. Bastard seemed to sense his masters emotion and rose to his feet, growling at the red haired mustachioed man. "Buachaill éasca, socair. Tóg go bog é."

"The hells that Paddy?" Merle asked.

"Irish. My ma' spoke it, wanted me to as well. Bastard gets calm when I speak to him in it."

"Never heard you say it."

"Never had a reason to. Bastard keeps calm pretty well. You all speak English, didn't have to ever speak Irish." Sam then looked to Abraham and glared at the man. "You come near the dog, you try to eat him. It won't end well. Goodnight."

* * *

"Do we even know where we're going anymore Paddy?"

"Not sure Merle, though if you pulled you're head out of your airse I'm sure you could figure it out."

"Sam, could you single them, the dog—"

"Bastard."

"—not calling him that. The dog has to pee, and so do I."

"Sure Beth, one second." Sam flashed his lights and the column of cars slowed to a halt. The others got out of the cars and some went to the woods to go piss or shit while Rick and his inner circle formed up to figure out where they were going. Sam climbed on the car he had been driving, and kept an eye out for any walkers that might come along, a tedious and boring, but often overlooked, job.

"Sam." He looked down and saw Carol standing there. "We need to talk."

* * *

They trekked through the woods. Sam felt his palms moisten and his stomach in knots. Out of everyone in the group, Carol scared him the most. Deadly, ruthless at times, and utterly intimidating. If she wanted him dead, he was sure that she could do it.

"I'm sorry," he croaked out quietly. She didn't say anything, opting to keep walking and avoid looking at him. "I'm sorry Carol."

"That doesn't bring her back."

"I tried. To keep them both safe, to try and make sure that they made it through. That fucking herd came out of nowhere."

Carol stopped. "You should have been there, you should have saved her! But no, you went after little miss blond and useless! Following you're cock and not trying to help my little girl! And now what, she's dead, because you couldn't—"

" _Me_? Carol, you left!"

"Not by choice!"

"So fucking what? Rick tells you to go, you get your daughter first. Some women has your daughter you get her back! Is it my fault? Yes, and I will carry that with me every night. I will see her face and hear her screams. I'll feel her blood on my hands as the life left her body, _I am sorry!_ And I will take that with me to my grave no matter how far or short away it is."

Carol sniffled and Sam handed her a dollar bill to wipe them away. "I should've been there. Fucking Rick! He sent me away, and then _He_ showed up! I could have helped, I could have taken care of her. But then I thought, Sam will! He can take care of Sophia and then you let her go! You let her get captured!"

"I tried Carol. I'm sorry. Sophia was a great girl, bright, full of hope. If I could kill that women over again I would, and I would do it again and again. But I can't, and all I can say, is that I am sorry."

Carol turned and began to walk back to the caravan. "Fuck your apologies."

* * *

The snow had enveloped the caravan so suddenly that they had barely enough time to position their cars before they were completely snowed in. There wasn't much they were able to do until the blizzard died and the snows melted.

Sam was currently sandwiched between Beth and Bastard in the backseat, his legs cramping slightly from the awkward positioning, him being too tall in order to comfortably lay down. They had both fallen asleep as did Merle, who could be heard snoring loudly from the front of the car and Gabriel was fast asleep having stayed up the previous night driving.

Sam enjoyed the sound of the wind howling around the car, and the even breathing of Beth next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, and for a moment, forgot how shitty the apocalypse truly was, before sleep claimed him. A blissfully dreamless sleep.

* * *

AN: So here is the next chapter, sorry it took so long and I hoped that you did enjoy it. So, I've been thinking about a couple of one shots for Sam in the Walking dad, either AU's or just random scenes that would be cool or interesting, like him when he was with his gang in the beginning or AU's where he's in America stuff like that. Thoughts? I just got in the mood for that stuff since it's the holiday season now and why not you know. Anyway, review and I'll see you guys next time! ~Pacco1


	29. Supply Run

Ch. 29

AN: Hey guys and girls! Okay so there has been something that has been nagging me and maybe you too, but I don't think I've ever told you guys what Sam's guns are, and I apologize for that. His pistol is a Colt .45 Model 1911, and his rifle is an M16 with an ACOG. I am not sure if I ever said what his guns were so if not, then I am clarifying. Now, onto the story!

* * *

The flashlight scanned over the toppled over rows, the destroys items on the ground, and the dried blood from years before. Sam passed by the fruit and vegetables his nose crinkling and bugs flying in the air. The inside of the store was still warm enough, it seemed, to have flies.

Most of the section he was in only had moldy food but he was sure to be thorough as he scanned the section. He gripped his pistol tightly, the parts of his hand that weren't covered freezing and sticking to the guns metal. He hoped that he had no need of it. Everyday the magazines seemed to be getting lighter and lighter.

Bastard growled just as a clang was heard through the store. Sam whipped his bod around and shut his light off in one swift motion. His arms were tense and he held his breath. One second… two… three…

He took a step forward keeping his paces spaced out and slow. Ever step his eye would glance down, and he would redirect his foot if anything that would make noise was in the way. Bastard crept along the aisle as well, low to the ground, his thick white coat only slightly visible in the dark store.

There was a flash of light and Sam knelt to the ground as he heard several pairs of boots.

"Check out the place, with luck we'll find something."

"Johnny, not so loud."

"Why not? If there's dead here then it'll draw 'em out."

"Easy," Sam whispered as he crept forward, and holstered his gun. The little moonlight that the store allowed in gleamed against his knife. Sam put his hand to his throat and made a rasping noise as he shook one of the nearby knocked over aisles.

"You hear that?"

"Dead, sounds like it's trapped. I got 'em, you two go and grab whatever you can find!"

Sam continued making the noise, his throat beginning to hurt, but the light got closer, and closer. Sam stroked Bastards neck and just as the man appeared at the front of the aisle, tapped the hounds neck. Bastard immediately sprang forward pouncing onto the man who barely had time to react let alone scream. The dogs teeth dug into the mans neck and blood began to leak onto the floor and into Bastards mouth as the man gargled on his own blood struggling and knocking things over. His friends called out and Sam swore and made his way to Bastard. .

"Maith buachaill. Maith thú." Sam whispered as he walked to Bastard and then shoved his knife into the mans head. "Let's go get the others, aye?"

"Johnny? Johnny? Shit! That's no dead!"

Sam raised his pistol and snuck through the aisles, following the flashlights.

"What do we do?"

"Fuck if I know!"

Sam found the two men standing in the dim light of their flashlights, guns raised and shaking slightly, from the cold or fear he didn't know. Sam slid the slide of his gun back and saw that he had four rounds in the magazine.

 _Two men, two kills. Pop out, nail them both. Bastards the backup._ Sam clutched his pistol tightly and peered out from the shelf he was hiding behind. The two of them were shining their lights around the store muttering under their breath. He could hear them mumble things along the lines of ' _come out, stop hiding'_ and the like. Sam took a deep breath and patted Bastard on the head.

He sprang out of cover and fired off his first shot. The bullet flew through the air and the first man didn't have time to yell out in terror as the bullet tore through his eyeball and entered his brain. Blood sprayed out the back of the mans head and onto the other mans face who stumbled back before firing blindly at Sam. Most of his shots were wide and went over his head, harmlessly imbedding themselves into the shelves behind him.

Sam ducked out of reflex and waited for the shooting to stop. Bastard growled beside him and Sam tapped the dog on the head, and then the beast was off maneuvering quickly through the knocked over shelves and dried up puddles of blood.

"You're a dead man! You hear me?"

"Not likely. I've killed tougher men than you and your friends."

"The fuck did you even attack?"

Sam shrugged knowing the man couldn't see. "You got in my way. Besides, you can't be too careful. You might have tried to kill _me_."

"Fuck you man! You're fucking dead!"

"Not yet."

Sam crawled on the ground, avoiding the light, and waited. He could hear the man breathing heavily, and smell the coppery scent of blood which had begun to overpower the smells the Sam had smelt when he had first entered the store. The sound of fabric sliding on the tile was quite noticeable and Sam debated on whether or not to peak over to see what was happening.

 _Bark! Bark! Bakr Bark Bark!_ Sam's head snapped up as he heard Bastard barking. He slowly slid his legs up, ready to stand quickly. _You have three bullets Sammy, use them well._

"The fuck is that?" The man asked Sam could hear plenty of movement from where he was at now.

"Wild dogs are fairly common these days. I've heard they bite harder than Walkers. Blood draws them in, you've probably got a lot of it around you." The man gasped and there was a loud commotion, Sam could see in the shadows that he was scrambling away form the body. He took a deep breath, and got up.

The mans eyes met with his, and Sam pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the mans lower left torso and he screamed. Bastard sprang from where he was hiding and buried his teeth in the mans right hand making him drop the gun he was holding. Sam clicked the safety on his and holstered the weapon.

"Fuck! Fuck, my arm! Ah god!" Sam kicked the gun away from his reach and Bastard released his hold on the mans arm.

Sam drew his sword and watched as the mans eyes widened. He used his legs to try and propel himself away begging Sam not to kill him. Sam raised the sword, and brought it down.

* * *

The drive back was as comfortable as it could be. Long range scavenging missions were never very pleasant, but sitting in a car that reeked of blood and was uncomfortably cold, not to mention Bastard had pissed in the passenger seat, it just wasn't the way Sam had wanted to spend the mission. But he stuck with it, the only option was to walk, and he had less than a day to get to the rendezvous. Otherwise the others would pack up and leave and it would just be Sam and Bastard.

The snows had melted a decent amount in the weeks since the snowstorm that had enveloped the group. The time that they had sent frozen had done a number on their supplies, so Rick had put several expeditions together. Merle, Sam, and Abraham would go out on their own, find any supplies that they could, and in a weeks' time, meet at a point Rick had marked on the map. If they weren't there, then Rick and the others would leave. Sam looked at the watch Rick had given him, he still had a day to get there. Sam smiled, he knew he would get there.

* * *

Sam was fucked for lack of a better term. There was steam coming from under the hood of the car and there was a screeching noise as well. He stopped in the middle of the road and popped the hood. The remaining snow crunched under his feet and the cold air blew around his body. He pulled his coat tightly around him. He could smell smoke and a stinging in his eyes are he cot closer to the hood. Realization his him and he scrambled to the hood shoving it up and fanning the smoke out of the way.

A small orange flam danced in the engine and Sam quickly piled snow onto the part drowning it in frozen water.

"Oh, fuck me!" Sam said as he tried to figure out how he would make fifty miles in the snow with all of the supplies.

* * *

He trudged through the snow, a heavy pack, rifle, sword and pistol all strapped to him as he made his way. He had been walking through the snow for hours, barely covering six miles from the amount of mile markers he had seen. _Only forty-four to go._

He could feel snow make its way into his shoes and melt making his feet soaked with melted snow. He could feel his toes freezing in his boots but kept going. Bastard walked slowly beside him his pants fogging the air and providing Sam with some kind of primitive traveling music.

Sam passed a Walker, hits legs buried underneath two feet of snow. Sam smiled at that, if there was one thing that the snow was good for, it was keeping the dead at bay. Either trapping them or freezing them, the snow helped enough.

He felt a cram coming on in his foot and stopped. He flexed his foot and began praying to not get a foot cramp, the last thing he needed was his foot seizing up and stopping him from getting to the group. He stood a deep breath and flexed his foot. Flex, relax, flex, relax.

He could feel the muscle tightening and then his foot froze and pain took hold.

"Fuck!" He fell to the ground and shoved his pack off of him. He quickly unlaced his boot and began massaging his foot as the excruciating pain gripped him. "Not, my fucking day, is it?"

Bastard whimpered and licked his bare foot and despite the pain Sam laughed at the dogs efforts to alleviate the pain, before he yelled out as another wave of pain hit him. He sat on the side of the road a few minutes, massaging out the cramp and running scenarios out in his head. Chances were that they wouldn't leave right at the one day, there would most likely be a day or two leeway for him and the others to get there. He hoped.

Sam laced his shoe and stood up, testing his foot for any signs or a second cramp. When his foot turned out to be fine, he began marching again, through the snow and cold.

* * *

Merle looked down at his watch before peering out towards the road looking for Sam. He was overdue by a day and a half. He had asked Rick to take a car and look for the kid but was denied. _Shame, the kid was handy in a fight._

Rick had given Sam until the next morning to show up, otherwise, they would have no choice but to go on. No one said anything, but they knew that it was likely that he was dead. The kid might have been hard to kill, but cold, no food, and exposure could kill anyone. For all they knew, his dog had gotten hungry and killed Sam when he was sleeping for food.

"Anything?" Merle looked behind him and Saw Beth peering out, using her cupped hands as improvised binoculars.

"Not yet. Don't worry though, kids tough. He's out there. Probably takin' him a bit longer is all."

"Yeah, I—I know. Still, two days…"

Merle raised his binoculars again and looked. Nothing, nothing, and again, nothing. No noise, no shadows, not even a Walker. But for all Merle knew, that was all that was left of the kid.

* * *

"What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morning," Sam sang softly as he trotted along. Usually he wouldn't sing for the sake of other people's ears, but it was just Bastard so he figured why not. Sam was well into his second day, and based on the fact that he had gone only seven or so miles in twelve hours, he was a bit worried.

His back was aching and he felt like his legs were practically jelly at that point, not to mention the blisters he had gained from running a couple of the miles when he had come across a small group of Walkers.

Based on his map reading he was still ten miles out before he could use his radio. The good radios that they had gotten were all out of batteries, so they had to ow rely on the cheap ones that they had scavenged from a few gas stations. Low battery life, shitty range, but they did their job when the group was in a jam.

He twirled his knife in his hand, keeping his mind off of the aches in his body and on the task at hand. He would make it. He had to, besides. They wouldn't leave him.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! Okay so here is chapter 29. THis is gonna start up a part of the story that I'm prett excited about. For those of you that wanted to see Sam like he was in his raider days, get ready. ~Pacco1


	30. The Lonesome Road

Ch. 30

The smoke wafted lazily into the air. The scent filling Sam's nose and stinging his eyes. The wood was still warm, the tracks fresh, and the note, the ink was barely dry.

 _Sam, go to D.C.! Find us there! We're sorry._

They had left him some food, enough to last a few days, but nothing that would drain their stores too much. He laughed as he felt the weight of his pack. He would have really made their day, if they hadn't left him that is.

* * *

He scratched his beard, the mass of hair a blessing as it kept part of his face warm and a curse due to the goddamn itch. But it also did help with intimidation, a tall dirty man comes out of the woods with a gun and a beard, made a lot of people piss themselves.

Sam had walked a while. Kept the food he had scavenged and made sure that he and Bastard were safe. But as the weeks rolled on, human nature got the best of him. He had forgotten about rationing and ate until he and Bastard were full every night. That had lasted a whole month before he was low again.

Then he came across a group. A boy and a girl pulled over on the side of the road trying to figure out where they were going. Sam closed his eyes as he remembered what had happened.

"Don't. You reach for the gun you and her are dead."

The man trembled as he lifted his arms into the air. Sam took a few careful steps forward, and then blew the man's head off. The woman screamed and tried running off, but a bullet stopped her too.

Sam never understood why they thought they would be allowed to live. Was it hope? Nativity? Fear? Did it honestly matter, they all died the same. A quick shot to the head and he was on his way with their food, weapons, car.

He had made it into Virginia, but was still many miles from D.C. The cold was subsiding, and the Walkers reemerging. Sam's latest car had just died and he was now stuck walking through the damn state. But at least he had good company.

"Man, your luck just isn't holding out today isn't it?"

"I suppose not," Sam said as he strapped up. "Though it has been shite for a bit hasn't it?"

"Not from the looks of that pack full of food and ammo."

"Oh come on. It's nothing I haven't done before."

"But is it Sam? When we first met, you didn't do that anymore, you didn't do it for a year, and now? Right back to it. Why is that?"

"Times are hard. You left, I needed to survive. Simple." Sam slammed the door to the far shut and began to walk.

"Come on. You were doing fine."

"Was I Rick? I mean fucking was I? You shites left me! And what I'm just supposed to find a way to get through clean without a group? I can't it's damn near impossible! My hands are dirty Rick just like yours! And Daryl's, Carols, Maggie, all of 'em! So fuck off!" The hallucination went away as he had requested, and Sam began walking, Bastard trotting dutifully at his side.

It had started sometime ago. Within the first month of being alone. It had been Merle who had appeared. Then Beth, Carol, Sophia. They seemed to alternate. This was the first one he had seen Rick though.

* * *

"Three of 'em huddled around a campfire," Sam whispered as he stroked Bastards hair. "One armed, two have machetes."

"Don't. Please Sammy?"

"You're not real. None of you are. Leave me alone." Sam raised his rifle and centered the scope's reticle on the armed woman's head.

"Sammy!"

"Go away."

"Please!"

"Go away." Bastard peeked his ears up and tilted its head to the side. "Nothing boy, be ready."

"What if it was me?"

Sam stopped, and curled his finger around the trigger. "You're not here. And you're dead. Please Soph, I don' even want this version of you to see this part."

The apparition disappeared, and Sam pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Are you ever going to leave me alone!"

"I'm not Beth, Sam. I'm-"

"My mind's interpretation of Beth I got that, jaysus jus' leave me alone!" Sam turned into an old ruined gas station, the once red letters now black with dirt and a thick tree trunk crushing half of the convenience store. "Listen, I have put up with you little shites for two goddamn months, leave me alone!"

"Who the fuck are you talking to?" Sam un-holstered his pistol and turned on one heel quickly coming face to face with a man. He had a thick bearded and a rifle in his arms, aimed at the ground rather than at Sam. "Easy now. Don't want no trouble"

"You alone?" Sam asked, his eyes peaking behind the man into the station.

"Nothing but you, me, the dog, and those ghosts you seem to be taking to." The Old man smiled. "Talk to 'em often?"

"Often enough," Sam pulled the trigger and the man's body fell to the ground quickly. He collected the rifle, the ammo, and the small knife that the old man had been carrying before entering the store. The shelves had long been looted and the only thing that remained was the husk of the store.

He walked out of the store and looked down at the man's corpse. "Should have shot first."

"Did you really have to kill him?"

"Not having this conversation with you Beth. Especially a you that isn't here."

* * *

The farm reminded him of when the apocalypse was only a few months old. When there was still some hope left. Before the prison, Terminus, Grady.

The couple inside had committed suicide, booze and pills, quiet. Sam had killed their reanimated selves before he had made his way to the stable.

There was one horse left, it wasn't tied down, it simply stood still as Sam and Bastard approached it. It didn't complain when Sam saddled it, nor when they left its home.

Beth had given him a few lessons on the horse that they had found for Michonne back at the prison. After a year of not practicing though, and Sam was a bit of a mess in the saddle. Once he had the horse going in the direction, it was simply a matter of keeping the horse going.

Bastard walked next to Sam horse who was going at a nice slow trot the clop clop clop clop of the hooves lulling Sam into a peaceful silence. A silence devoid of Walkers and hallucinations.

As far as peace goes in the apocalypse, Sam knew that where he was in that moment, was as close as he was going to get.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, so my computer died. I'm typing on my phone right now, sorry for the extra typos, and I'll be a bit behind on updates. I'll keep planning though, right now I have till the end of season six planned so yeah. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I will see you next time. Review! ~Pacco1


	31. Surrounded

Ch. 31

 _What do you do with a drunken sailor,_

 _What do you do with a drunken sailor,_

 _What do you do with a drunken sailor,_

 _Earl-eye in the morning!_

Sam sang softly as he rode through the abandoned highway. Weeds and other forms of vegetation grew from under the asphalt and spread out from the cracks swallowing the road slowly. The hooves echoed through the woods attracting small bands of Walkers that were of no threat as long as Sam kept moving.

Bastard would wander off for an hour or two, leaving Sam by himself, the comfort of his two pistols all he had as the dog went off. The pistols were holstered in matching holsters under his arms, ready to draw at a moment's notice but hidden beneath a dirty brown poncho that he had scavenged from a fresh corpse he had made.

The fresh smell of spring filled his nose and he looked up enjoying the warm sun on his face after a brutal winter. He turned back to the road and saw Bastard making his way through the maze of deserted cars, a rabbit clutched between his teeth.

"Good lad. We'll stop soon how's that sound?"

"Oh you talk to him but not me?"

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He's real. You aren't."

"Oh come on Sam, I'm real."

"You're dead. For all I know the others are too."

"You don't believe that. You actually can't. Listen, Sammy-"

"Leave. Please Michael. I can't, not you."

Michael smiled and shook his head. "I taught you how to do this. To survive, not Rick, Merle, Daryl. Me. So if I were you, I'd be a bit more appreciative."

Sam couldn't look down at the ghost. "You taught me how to kill, and I learned. But I don't owe you anything. I put you out, I don't owe you anything."

* * *

The whiskey burned as it went down his throat. He had gotten some off of a small group that had been moving south. They made the mistake of putting a person that fell asleep on watch, and then it was like taking candy from a baby.

Beth had told him not to do it, no, the ghost Beth. After constantly having them in his mind for months at a time, he had trouble sorting them out, the ones that h he had last seen alive that was. The dead were the dead, but every time he saw the loving, he had to wonder if they were ghosts or not. It was troubling at times but he managed.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He managed most of the time. Most of the time the talking was one on one, he would yell and get the anger out of him, and move on. Other times though, it grow, slowly and slowly it would grow, until the voices overlapped and the hallucinations would all surround him, shouting and cursing at him for what he had done. Nights like those he would climb a tree and strap himself in until the hallucinations passed and he would be able to move on.

"Murderer!"

"Thief!"

"Psycho!"

"Worthless!"

Sam would sit there and take the abuse, but he knew that it wasn't really the group that was saying it. No, it was his own mind.

* * *

His hands shook as he rode. He had not seen a living corporeal soul in weeks. The only game that he had managed to kill was the occasional squirrel. Which half of always went to Bastard. As he trotted along the highway he heard Beth humming to him. It was a song from home. Although not much of a singer, Sam did know how to play a few instruments, and had gladly taken to the school band where he had learned and fallen in love with more than a few songs.

Bastard barked and Sam pulled the Horse to a stop.

Beth squealed with excitement and stopped humming. "Wonder what this is. Walkers or people?"

"Shut up." Sam scanned the area around him and his hands gripped the pistols tightly, but kept them in their holsters. He could hear chatting coming from the woods, a lot of it. If it were night, Sam could have been able to hide and take whoever was there by surprise. But judging from the amount of voices and sheer noise, it was too big of a group.

"Hide boy." Bastard obeyed immediately and scurried off looking for a place to hide. The noise was deafening by that point whoever was coming toward him was no small group, probably a scouting mission for a settlement if anything, but, what did that mean? Were there settlements around the area, he was only a hundred or so miles out from D.C. it was completely possible.

Could he run and hide from these people or should he stay maybe fight or try and reason with them. For all he knew they weren't looking for a fight. But what if they were? What if they were marauders that fought and killed anything and anyone that they came across? But what if they knew Rick, and Merle, and Beth?

Sam tried to come up with anything that could help him. The bushed began to move and the voices were right on top of him at that point. He took a deep breath and let go of his pistols.

The group came out of the brush, laughing, and their weapons at ease.

One, a man with a patchy beard and a square jaw saw Sam and immediately raised his rifle calling for the others to do the same. Almost immediately seven guns were trained on him and Sam raised his hands his dirty face looking down and he could feel his throat dry up.

"Who are you?" the head demanded. The group spread out slowly all of them keeping their guns and eyes on him. _Sloppy, no perimeter, perfect for an ambush, maybe I could have taken these guys._

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Sammy. They seem pretty hard core," Beth said as she weaved through the group.

"I asked you a question!"

"My names Sam." His throat felt scratchy and sore as he spoke, almost as if he had strep throat. "I'm alone." The others glanced at each other but kept their guns up. "You're not doing it right. You need to have two guys on me, the rest form a perimeter just in case of ambush."

"Oh because that's going to get them to trust you." Beth laughed and began examining the guns. "Hmmm, mix of M4's and M16's, 5.56 ammunition, stolen from military and police units, these are fully automatic Sam."

"Where are you from?"

"Ireland. I was here on a school trip. Listen, I'm tired, so if you're gonna kill me do it, if not, then let me pass."

A large man with a massive battle axe looked over at the patchy beard and shrugged. "He might want to meet him."

"How do we know he isn't one of them?"

"Look at him, he's been alone for months."

"I can practically smell him from here," A woman with a bow and arrow muttered.

"Not many places to shower on the road," Sam said.

"Come on Sam don't get mad. I mean you do stink. Oh wow, these guys have swords too!"

"We'll take him in. He moves a muscle take him out. Throw your weapons on the ground! Slowly!"

Sam did as he was bid, slowly unholstering his pistols and throwing them to the ground. He unsheathed his sword and hid the same before moving to his knives. The group became tense when Sam began to unsling his rifle and were quick to collect his weapons after they were sure that he had relinquished all of them. The bearded one had demanded that he get off of his horse but all Sam had done was stare at the man. This began an intense staring contest that had ended with Sam's horse being pulled in the direction of wherever the group was taking him. Sam looked to the brush and Sam Bastard stalking along ready to jump out.

"What a good Dog! We sure got a good one didn't we Sam?" _We did Beth. We did._ "Where are they even taking you?"

Sam repeated the question and the man pulling the horse. The large man with the battle axe turned and smile.

"We're talking you to the King dude."

* * *

AN: Hey guys, So I managed to borrow a laptop and typed this up pretty quickly for all of you! I hop you liked it and I cannot wait for you guys to see what is going to happen next! Review! ~Pacco1


	32. Meeting Royalty

Ch. 32

They stared at him, some with fear, and others curiosity, but to Sam, it was the kind of stare that one would use when looking at a caged animal. He felt like he was in a zoo, there for everyone's entertainment. He still sat atop his horse, the soldiers standing a good few feet from him in case he attacked.

"Mommy, who's that?"

"Go inside sweetie."

"But mommy-"

"Now!"

"Drawing quite the crowd aren't you?" Sam kept his eyes on the horse's mane trying to block out Merle's voice. "I mean damn Paddy; you got a bunch of these assholes out here to see ya'!"

They neared a theater and Sam could see several of the guards looking at him. Their fingers slipped onto their triggers and others grasped their machetes and spears.

"Who's this?" A guard asked the man who had led the group.

"A traveler. He was wandering around our territory, thought it would be best if the King saw him." The man explained.

"Shit Richard, I don't know what you thought the King would want with him but, fine." The guard moved aside and the lead, Richard, looked to Sam.

"Off the horse. You can't bring it inside."

Sam nodded and swung his leg above the horse and out of the saddle in one quick motion. He saw the guns lift and follow him as he was marched into the theater.

It was dark except for the stage where a large chair stood along with-

"Holy fuck is that a fucking tiger?" Sam stopped walking as he looked at the beast and Merle screamed out the question. For beside the man Sam assumed was the King, was a very large tiger. "You're fucked now Paddy."

"Keep walking."

"Ah! Our brave soldiers return! And what is this, a guest?" The lion roared as Sam approached, his mouth still hanging open. "Shiva enough, this traveler seems to have been through quite the ordeal. Tell me sir, what is your name?"

"Fuck Paddy, this thing could kill you faster than a bullet probably."

"I-I… my name is Samuel, Samuel Conall."

"Well met Samuel, I am King Ezekiel, welcome to the Kingdom."

"I… t-thank you. In the years that the apocalypse has taken place, I must say, seeing a tiger, first time I'm speechless."

The King laughed as did the man with the battle axe, the rest remained silent and their weapons trained in Sam.

"Yes, Shiva is a rare and loyal companion, one that I treasure very deeply in my heart. But that is a discussion for another time. For now, tell me Mr. Conall, why are you here?"

"Man this guy is serious isn't he?" Merle rounded the tiger and Sam felt his heartbeat quicken as if Merle was really there. "This thing wanted to get loose, no chain's gonna stop it."

"I'm here because you're men brought me here. I was on the road, with my horse, they found me."

The King nodded and shifted his weight in his chair. Sam could see his eyes picking apart every detail in Sam's appearance; his bushy beard, messy hair and clothes that were probably safer to burn rather than wash. The dirt that marred his face would most likely need multiple washings with scalding hot water to remove not to mention the small cuts and bug bites that covered his body.

"How long have you been out there? By yourself?" The King asked.

Sam opened his mouth to reply but, ten closed it slowly. He had been left behind during what seemed like the second month of winter. Lasted the rest, plus a few moons into spring. If he did his math right…

"Probably five months. Give or take a week or two." Sam's voice had retreated back into him, scratchy and weak. He suddenly felt vulnerable as he realized how alone he had been.

He had seen ghosts, talked himself, his dog his horse. He yelled at the air, at himself. He could feel their eyes on him. The Kingdom soldiers, and Merle, and Rick, Beth and Sophia. They all looked at him.

He took a few shuddered breaths and felt his legs begin to go weak. His vision began to cloud and the King called for someone to grab him. As his vision faded, he heard the lion roar.

* * *

He was back in the funeral home. Sitting at the piano. Beth sat next to him, looking at him expectantly. He felt a lump in his theist and then he noticed her face. It was clean, not a speck of dirt on it, and her clothes, she was wearing a green dress, one that he had never seen since dresses were impractical in the apocalypse.

"Son, you gonna start playing or what?" Sam froze and turned quickly. He didn't have a beaded, but he did have his leg still attached. "Come on now."

"Probably forgot how to play," Merle said as he and Daryl sat at a table playing cards, Sophia and Carl watching intently.

"Come on Sam," Beth nudged him. "Play."

* * *

He opened his eyes and wiped the tears away quickly. No one needed to see them. He took a few deep breaths and calmed down. _Just a Dream. Get it together Sammy._

"You're awake," San jumped and turned to the voice. A woman in a white lab coat stood a few feet from his bed. She was scribbling on her clipboard.

"Who are you?" Sam asked her as he sat up.

"Dr. Natalie Finch."

"How long have I been out?"

She smiled and clicked her pen. "Two days. I must say you are quite impressive. Malnutrition, dehydration, and a severe infection on your left leg. How'd you get that by the way, a bet I have with my assistant?"

Sam checked his leg and saw a mess of bandages and a single stitch thread peeking out from under them. "Gunshot."

Natalie smiled and clicked her pen again. "Good, that means I won. How'd you get it by the way?"

"Another bet?"

"Curiosity."

"I killed a man for a bag of chips. He got lucky shot off." Natalie stopped writing and slowly looked up at Sam. He could see her scanning his face for any form of deception or a poor attempt at humor.

"Really?" She asked quickly.

"It's a cruel world Finch. Only the cruel live on the outside."

Natalie put her pen into her lab coat pocket and tucked the clipboard under her arm. "I'll- the King wanted to see you when you woke up."

"Good for me then. Doctor if you could do me a favor?" Dr. Finch nodded slowly. "If they're gonna kill me, give me five minutes, I'd rather not die in a bed like this."

* * *

The wheeled him into the theater under a lighter guard than before. Two men behind him and two sitting on the stage as well as the tiger and the man with a battle axe.

The King sat up as soon as Sam entered. "Ah, Mr. Conall, it brings me pleasure to see you awake and well! Dr. Finch truly is one of our most valued subjects, here in the kingdom."

"Aye, she did good. Got my leg nice and right. I thought when the pain went away that it was good, turns out my leg was shutting down. I truly am grateful that your men found me." Sam said, he bowed his head toward the one with the axe, and the lead, Richard he believed his name was.

"And I am glad that my men had found you. It is a horrible world that has taken hold, and to see men such as yourself survive it, and alone, gives me hope."

"Thank you your majesty." Sam said, he began fiddling with his hands. "If I may, I've been looking for my original group. They were in their way here, or D.C. but I haven't had any luck."

"We have had many groups come to the Kingdom of the past year. Many different people. If you give me their names, I will tell you if they are here."

Sam smiled and his heart began to speed up a bit. "There was, Beth Greene, Rick Grimes, Glenn Rhee, Daryl Dixon. You couldn't miss them, a bunch of dangerous shites."

The King sat for a minute. Sam could see the gears turning in his mind as he tried to recollect any memory of people that Sam had described whether it be names or people that were in his compound.

Sam looked on at the King with hope. Maybe he had seen his group on their way to D.C. Or perhaps they were in the compound working as scavengers or scouts or something that meant that they weren't in the kingdom often.

"Samuel, I am sorry, I do not know of the people that you speak of." Sam cast his eyes to the ground and took a breath. "I apologize."

Sam nodded and looked back to the King. "Doesn't mean they're dead right? If I may, I was wondering if I may stay for the night, perhaps barter for some supplies that I might need."

"You are leaving?"

"Aye, they're out there. I need to find them."

The King nodded. "I understand, but I would be a poor King if I did not ask that you stay a week, let your body recover from your time on the road. Eat, drink, replenish yourself, and when the week is up, or if you feel before, you will be allowed to leave."

Sam considered it for less than a second. A warm bed, fresh food, and walls. "I accept. I thank you."

* * *

The water stung his face as he scrubbed the dirt away. The basin underneath him became black for the third time that day, and Sam felt like he could finally see right without all of the dirt in his eyes.

He stopped scrubbing and looked up into the mirror. His hair was now at a manageable length, his skin was now sun kissed but clean. He had elected to keep the beard, though much shorter than what it had been originally. He had trimmed himself as much as he could have, hair, nails all of it.

For the first time in months he felt better. His clothes were crisp and clean, a white collared shirt with jeans and they had even given him a new pair of boots. Most of his old clothes had been burned, at his request, though he did keep his old boots. Sophia had given him a different shoelace for each boot, it didn't seem right to switch them.

"Wow, hard to imagine that's what you looked like before it all went down." Sam closed his eyes and griped the sides of the basin tightly.

"You're not real. You're not real."

"I'm real, just like everyone that you see."

"Except they can't see you, only I can." Beth smiled and sprawled out on the bed in the room that they had given him. "So please, leave me alone, just this week. Give me a week; let me get ready to go back out."

Bastard yipped from his spot near the door. Sam looked and saw the dog gnawing on a large bone that a little girl had given him. Sam had requested that he be allowed to go outside the gate for a minute, saying that he had something to collect. Ezekiel had allowed it, and had even come with him when the gates opened.

Sam had whistled loudly glancing along the tree lines. The king and several of the guards must have thought him crazy when they had all waited five minutes for what seemed like nothing, but then, the bushes began to rustle. Richard aimed his rifle that way while Sam saw Ezekiel grip the handle of his cane tightly. When Bastard came running out toward them Sam jogged over to meet the dog, patting it down and telling him that he was a good boy.

If Sam had thought he had drawn quite the crowd, then Bastard must have gotten half the kingdom to come out and see him. Parents had been weary at first, not wanting their kids to get rabies or the like, but an assurance from Sam, as well as the King, seemed to put them at ease and seen enough Bastard was getting petted and pampered by many of the kingdoms children.

"It's alright boy. Just the ghosts talking." Bastard yipped and went back to the bone. Beth had gone and Sam went back to scrubbing his face.

After cleaning up he and Bastard made their way to the kingdoms central him. Tables were spread out amongst the area, and there was a table that stood higher than the others, facing the mass of tables. There was a high seat that was flanked by five chairs on either side of it. Candles lit most of the tables though there were a few lamps and fires that were set around the outskirts of the area providing light to the outlying tables.

"Sam!" He turned quickly, his hand going to his waist, but then falling to his side when he felt nothing there. "Hey dude, the King wants you to sit at the high table today."

"Oh, uh, thanks… I'm sorry; I never did get your name."

The large man waved it off. "Don't sweat it man. I'm Jerry, the Kings steward."

Sam shook his hand and smiled. "Samuel, but you knew that."

Jerry led Sam to the Kings table and Sat him to the Kings direct left while Richard took the King's right and Jerry next to Richard. Soon the seats began to fill up as people came to the diner.

Soon enough though, Ezekiel came out everyone rose to their feet. Sam stood up awkwardly not knowing if he was supposed to or not. When the King reached his seat He motioned for everyone to sit down which they did.

"Thank you all for coming. Now as many of you may know already, we have a new addition to the kingdom, however short it may be. His name is Samuel Conall, the young man sitting to my left. I ask you all to treat him with respect. We all know what is outside of those walls, the horrors that have taken hold of the world. I ask that you all remember that, and the effects that it can have on someone. We here at the kingdom are blessed to be here, to be as safe as we are. Our brave Knights keep us safe; keep us supplied, as we must remember how fortunate we are to have them, to have our walls, to have each other. We at the kingdom are blessed, for we have and every day I awake from my slumber I know that I truly am blessed to be with all of you. Now, let us dine!"

Sam smiled as Ezekiel sat down and the subjects of the kingdom cheered him on and began to eat. Sam looked down at his plate and saw the fresh vegetables, meat, and small cut up fruit. The largest meal he had since the prison, and a few tears began to well in his eyes, but he blinked them away before anyone could notice.

As the night went on a man named Ethan, a Knight for the kingdom, began to play guitar for a choir that sang so beautifully Sam saw more than one pair of eyes drop a few tears.

When it came time to return to his room, Sam couldn't believe his eyes, people laughing and dancing, singing and being happy. It was unheard of, but it was real. It was so real.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, managed to find a beat up computer that is hanging on by a thread, but it works! Now, here is the new chapter (obviously) and I am happy with how it came out. Now for that small dream scene in the middle, don't worry if you that seemed random it will come into play. Next time Sam explores the Kings realm and makes some new friends. Review! ~Pacco1


	33. The Kingdom

Ch. 33

Breakfast was typically a quick affair. A bag of chips or leftover berries. Sometimes Sam would get lucky and his snare traps would catch something, but those days were few and far in between.

But as he sat down at the table, as he saw the food that the Kingdom provided, it took all he had not to tear up. He was sitting alone near the back of the tables. Although the King had invited him to dine the night before he hadn't in the morning, for which Sam was greatful. He still got looks from the people of the Kingdom, and a soldier always seemed to be following him, or at least not too far away.

"What do you want today Bas?" Calling a dog Bastard in front of children didn't seem very appropriate. "We have eggs, a small bit of bacon, not to mention oranges."

"Quite a spread Sammy."

"Goddamn it."

"Oh come on," Beth sat next to him and began picking through his plate. "You act like it's not good to see me."

Sam looked around and made sure that others were out of earshot. He then bowed his head and tried to keep his lips from loving as he spoke to her.

"Go away."

"Don't be like that Sammy."

"Please? Go away."

"Sammy, look all I want to do is spend a little time with you is that such a big deal?"

"You're not here." Sam finally looked up at her and glared. "You're not here, so get the fuck away."

"Oh why'd you have to do that?" Beth smiled and leaned against him. Sam closed his eyes again and took a breath, no matter how many times he told himself that they weren't real, he swore he could still feel them. He could feel Beth's breath on his ear, the tingling sensation it spread throughout his body as she whispered, "You know I love it when you say _fuck_."

Sam stood up and left his tray of food there, Bastard trotting behind him dutifully. He couldn't take it, the visions, and the conversations. What little bit of sanity he had left he could feel slipping with every word that he sent in their direction. He couldn't handle it, and he vowed that he would try and stop talking to them, reacting to them in general. But at the moment, what he needed was a cold shower.

* * *

"Son, you gonna start playing or what?" Sam froze and turned quickly. He didn't have a beaded, but he did have his leg still attached. "Come on now."

"Probably forgot how to play," Merle said as he and Daryl sat at a table playing cards, Sophia and Carl watching intently.

"Come on Sam," Beth nudged him. "Play."

Sam smiled and pressed down on one of the keys, a soft note sounding through the home. He had no idea what he was playing; his hands seemed to simply move on their own, gliding through the keys hitting each one quickly and precisely.

"I thought I heard you playing," Sam looked away from the piano and grinned as Rick walked in. "Haven't heard you play in a while."

* * *

Sam hated the dream. He hated the fact that he couldn't control it, he hated the fact that the dead were there, as were the living. But most of all he hated the fact that he wanted to be there, the fact that it was so appealing. He hated that he wanted to stay there, to live there.

Rick was in his room, he tried speaking but Sam, left opting to go and see if there was anything that he could do for the Kingdom. He had been there for two days and he had spent it exploring, lounging out and observing. He was already feeling lazy and decided that he needed to do something. If anything just for his mind to be kept busy, to keep _them_ out.

He walked through the Kingdom and made it to the theatre, or throne room, or whatever it was that the King called it. Jerry let him in saying that the King was accepting visitors.

Shiva sat at the Kings side and Sam couldn't help but feel anxious when approaching the killing machine. But, it was either be anxious for a bit, or lose his mind talking to ghosts.

"Ah, the adventurer returns! Samuel, how goes your stay in the Kingdom?"

"Well m'lord, or your majesty? Which is it?"

Ezekiel laughed. "Whichever you prefer Samuel. Though I am sure you did not come all this way to discuss what you were to address me as. Tell me, why did you seek an audience with the King?"

Hershel walked out from behind the King's throne, both his legs attached. "I, well you see m'lord, you've given me food and shelter for two days. I simply wished to return the favor. I wish to contribute, if you would have me."

"And what is it you can do?" Ezekiel questioned him. "Do you know how to farm?"

"No sir."

"Do you know how to practice the healing arts?"

"No sir."

"Can you help rebuild structure, or plan new ones?"

"I can swing a hammer if that is what you mean."

Ezekiel nodded. "Tell me then; what can you do for the Kingdom, Samuel?"

"Killing," Hershel said quickly.

"I know how to fight. I could offer instruction on, shooting, fighting."

"And what do you know that my brave soldiers do not?"

Sam looked to one of the soldiers surrounding the King. "You, you have a sword on your hip, you know how to use it?"

The man nodded hesitantly. "I can kill the dead."

"If a man came at you with a sword though? Could you win?" The soldier shrugged. "I could, I would. I've, you see, I've killed a lot of people. Some deserved it, some didn't, but I became quite good at it. I could help your men, become good at it as well. I'm no Navy Seal but, I'm good."

Ezekiel looked to Sam, and he could feel the Kings eyes drilling into him. Hershel began to speak but Sam tuned it out, he wouldn't let the ghosts talk to him anymore, he couldn't. Ezekiel looked to Shiva and stroked her fur softly, the chains rattled quietly and Bastard stood and walked in front of Sam, defensively, like the good boy he was.

"I can see that you are a dangerous man, Samuel. To me or the Kingdom I know not, but dangerous all the same. I cannot, in good conscious to my people allow you to roam with weapons neither in the premise, nor around my men and women that protect the Kingdom." Sam swallowed hard and nodded. "However, if you were to stay, show that you could be trusted, then I have no doubt that you could be a valued member of the Kingdom."

* * *

Kitchen duty was as bad as could be expected. Making whatever he could with what he had was tricky at times, but being Irish, a stereotyped that seemed to be true, he was excellent with Potatoes. He would boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew, he was a genius. Everything else however, well that was tough.

"Ah, Mr. Conall, what's on the menu today?" Sam scooped a large helping of mashed potatoes onto Dr. Finch's plate.

"Mashed potatoes and I think Allen down the line prepared that deer the Soldiers found."

Dr. Finch squealed and moved down the line, but not before shouting. "I'll give Bas my bone if I get one."

Sam looked down at Bastard and grinned. "I think she likes you."

The dog simply tilted its head and barked. Dr. Finch did end up getting a bone in her meat and then gave it to Bastard, as did several of the other residents of the Kingdom before the dog was swept away by a group of children to play fetch or simply be pampered and petted. It seemed that despite only being in the Kingdom for less than a month, Bastard was a favorite.

For three weeks Sam had been in the Kingdom, working and contemplating his place within the realm of it all. The walls, the safety, it was hard to pass up, easier to accept than the hard reality of life outside of both. In the Kingdom he had a bed, on his own he had a few seat belts that he tied himself to a tree with. Not to mention that the company had improved immensely.

Dr. Finch, Richard, Jerry, even Ezekiel, they were all upgrades to the ghosts.

And then there were the ghosts. They still came to him, less frequently but more forceful. They would yell and scream and beg him to find them. Then they would go and try to distract him. Rick had fired his gun at several people throughout the Kingdom making Sam nearly jump and tackle him before he realized that it was a hallucination. Then there was the time that Sophia was slashing her knife around a woman and her baby. He didn't even want to think about the time Beth had been walking naked through the garden, well he did, but that was for when he was alone.

He knew he needed to find them, but, he couldn't not yet. He needed supplies; he needed time to rest, to heal from his time on the road. If he was tired or hurt then he wasn't at is best to take on what was outside of the walls and fins them. So he would wait, he would rest up and then he would take on the apocalypse.

* * *

He'd done it. He'd finally managed to get permission to carry a weapon in the Kingdom. Not a gun or any projectile, but he had his sword strapped to his hip.

He made his way to the training area, where kids and adults were allowed to practice with swords, knives, bows and the like. Most of the kids gravitated towards the swords while some others moved toward the bows.

There was a bald man standing over a group of young children eager to learn swordsmanship, and he was demonstrating the finer points of thrusting and slashing when Dam walked by.

"You there, new guy! You know how to use that thing?" Sam looked down at his sword belt and nodded.

"I can kill Walkers aye. Never really needed to fight a man one in one though."

"Well then today's your lucky day! Get over here!" The kids screamed with delight and Sam made his way, Bastard moving between the kids so he could be pampered and watch.

As Sam drew his sword, the bald man laughed and told him to sheathe it. "We can't really use sharp swords. This is a demonstration not the damn colosseum." He went to a rack that was off to the sides and brought two short swords with blunted edges. "Now, we'll use these, a bit heavier than yours, but we won't kill each other."

Sam took the sword and gave a few experimental swings. The weight was alright though it did feel a bit too heavy, though not too much.

"How much you know kid?"

Sam shrugged. "Like I said, I can kill the dead."

"Well here in the Kingdom we don't settle for that. You need to be quick! Agile! Deadly!"

"We're Knights!" One of the kids shouted while the others screamed their approval.

"You're not Knights yet! Not until I say so! Understood?"

"Yes Sergeant Darrius." The children said, dejected.

"Right. Anyway, you down for a spar?" Sam flourished the sword and nodded.

"Aye seems like as good a time as any."

The two took to the center of the field near the training area. Darrius gripped his sword tightly and rolled his neck releasing a few pops. Sam stood opposite and took in Darrius' stance. Tight grip, legs shoulder length apart, and he was on the tips of his toes.

Sam took a breathe and then the two began to circle each other. Their footwork was relatively similar, short steps that never crossed their legs. Sam considered lunging or thrusting his sword, but the bald man reacted faster, slashing his sword down causing Sam to jump back and swat the sword away.

The man sent a few other quick jabs forward which Sam knocked away while backing up. Darrius seemed to be watching him closely, and Sam knew what he was looking for, as well as what he saw. Sam's control over the sword was, decent, but the way that he sent out his deflections was something of another story. They were slow and a bit off the mark, but there was no denying that he was fairly decent for someone who had only been lopping off heads.

Darrius moved forward, is sword going in wide arcs. Sam deflected a few, and with every deflection the vibrations from the clash would travel up his arms and drive him back a step.

"Come on kid, keep the sword up, and watch me!" Sam did as he was told, but was still a bit unsure of what to watch out for. Darrius swung again. Although the swords were solid steel, Darrius' sword seemed to flow gracefully with every hack and swing. Sam thrusted upwards and then quickly made a slash for the man's legs but Darrius seemed to have seen the move coming and hoped out of the way.

Their swords clanged together and Sam was beginning to feel the rush of battle in his blood again. He could feel his blood pumping, his vision focusing, he was in the moment. He swung hard and fast, the blade but every time he swung Darrius' blade was there to meet his. Sam over extended his reach, and then his sword fell to the dirt and Darrius took his chance. He swung wild and fast driving Sam back with every swing. While Sam was on the retreat he noticed how the man's knuckles were white before he lifted the swords and swing it, and then it clicked.

Sam was meant to watch the knuckles, learn the way that Darrius was controlling the sword, so he could counter. Unfortunately the information came too late and Sam was pounded on the side with a heavy blow sending him to the floor.

"A bit slow there Sam! But I guess you did alright for a beginner!" Darrius twirled his sword and then hung it back in the rack he had gotten it. "With a bit of practice, you'll be a knight yet."

Even from the ground, Sam couldn't wipe the grin from his face.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! So here is the next one, I'm gonna try and get the next one up ASAP and I'm getting excited. So I had a question for you guys, is there anything you guys would like to see in particular? I mean I have a bunch of stuff planned, but it'd be cool to see what you guys wanted to see. Anyway, leave a review and Ill see you guys next time! Review! ~Pacco1


	34. Meet the Saviors

Ch. 34

Sam sat under one of the trees, enjoying the shade and the cool breeze that blew in contrast to the hot Virginian sun. Bastard's head rested in his lap and the people went about their business in the Kingdom. He was off duty at the moment, but unfortunately he would need to get back on the wall before long.

He checked his watch, five minutes before his shift. Sam groaned and began to stand up. He grabbed the rifle that was resting against the tree and slung it over his shoulder before strapping his sword belt on. Bastard got up quickly and followed Sam as he made his way out from underneath the cool shade of the tree.

"Hey Sam." He waved to Mrs. Bayer as he walked by.

"Sam, you coming to poker tonight?" Ethan, a fellow Kingdom guard, asked as he and his friends came back in from patrol.

"Only if you stop playing with cards up your sleeves, cheating prick." Ethan laughed and then waved him off.

The wall to the Kingdom was mainly wood but there were a few sections where it was reinforced with steel or sheet metal to cover up weak points. Along most of the wall was a small catwalk where soldiers would stand and walk along so that they could keep watch.

"Sam, bought time you got here. I thought you weren't gonna show." Sam checked his watch and saw that he still had two minutes before his shift started.

"Darrius, I'm on time, hell I'm early."

"You always gotta be early by at least fifteen minutes! Haven't I taught you anything?"

"Just how to swing this thing around." Sam said, grabbing the hilt of his sword. "'Sides, where are you so eager to be off to?"

"The kids are waiting for their lesson right about now."

"Right, that explains why none of 'em tried to steal Bastard from me while I was off."

"Yeah, yeah. Look keep your eye on the west area over there, a bit more Walkers are coming through than normal."

"Righto Darrius."

* * *

When the King requests your presence, you go. It was something that everyone in the Kingdom new and something that everyone in the Kingdom respected. It wasn't that they were afraid of the King, Ezekiel was a good and fair man, and it was simply out of respect. He led them, made sure that everything was kept in order and above all else, he cared for the people of the Kingdom. No, he loved them. So when the King asked to see Sam, he went without hesitation.

"M'lord," Sam said bowing just a bit. "You wanted to see me."

"I did Samuel. For the past four months you have served the Kingdom, you have protected its people, and you have done it well." The King paused and looked to where Richard stood. "Richard and I have been discussing a, situation, which has been occurring for the last year. I need strong soldiers to help me. After knowing what you have survived and seeing you work with the soldiers, I know that you would be of great value on this endeavor."

"Sorry if this sounds rude, but that is some fuckin' ominous shite." Sam crosses his arms. "What are you asking me to do?"

Ezekiel took a breath. "There is a group that we have business with. We give them supplies, food mainly, and in return we do not fight. They do not hurt anyone of the Kingdom."

Sam stood silent and then looked around to the others in the throne room. "Is-is that it? We give them shite and they don't attack?"

"It is more complicated than that!" Ezekiel said harshly. Sam shut his mouth and bowed his head quickly. The King hardly ever raised his voice like that, but when he did people listened. "The Kingdom, strong as we are, are not nearly strong enough to take this group on. It would cost a great many lives. Both ours and theirs. What I need from you is to come with me and others during these transactions. One of our soldiers, Robert, is retiring, and I wish for you to take his place."

"Aye, I'll go, but only because you ask it. If you believe that it is best for the people of the Kingdom, then I'll do it."

* * *

"So what do you know about the saviors?" Sam asked Richard. They were traveling with a few crates of produce to a meet up point. Jerry was with the King and several of the other Kingdom soldiers.

"They're killers. Answer to a guy named Negan. They guy we answer to is named Gavin. Negan though, never met him." Richard said, his hands wrapping tightly around the steering wheel.

"Negan. Pretty kick ass name. So what, they just go around telling people that they work for them?"

"Basically. You resist they kill you, intimidate the others. That's what I've heard. They haven't killed anyone from the Kingdom, yet. If they did, the King would have gone to war."

Sam shook his head as Richard began turning into the meet spot. There were three cars and men with rifles standing at ease. A man with a small bit of belly sticking out stood in front of the rest waiting for them.

Sam got out of the truck and kept his rifle down as were his instructions. The King went first greeting the lead Savior with respect, which Sam noticed was received and given, before he motioned for the Savior to come to the truck.

"Surprised you're on time, a couple of the patrols said that there was a herd coming around."

"We've not seen a herd but we are wary during these times. When the months begin to turn frigid and white, the dead seem to congregate."

"May be another lean winter. That being said, the next pick up is gonna need to be a bit heavier than normal."

Ezekiel stopped and looked at the Savior. "Gavin, surely what we give is more than enough."

Gavin shook his head. "That isn't for me to decide and you know that. Negan wants to be prepared in case the snows are bad. Preparation. You got one last good harvest. I don't need to tell you what happens when Negan gets pissed do I?"

Ezekiel closed his eyes and nodded. And Sam saw the Saviors for the first time.

* * *

"Samuel, if you would, ride with me in the back. Dianne you ride with Richard." Sam went to the back Ezekiel and Jerry. When the truck began moving, the wind made it hard to hear, which was why Ezekiel sent Jerry to the back of the truck and sat next to Sam. "What do you think of the Saviors?"

"Bad news. They might be on your side for now, but give them enough time, a harsh winter, hell a bad day, and they'll turn on you."

"You speak from experience with groups like these?"

Sam shook his head. "It's just what I'd do. I mean it's good to have food brought to you, but it's better to know have control of the food. Where it's grown, how it's picked, when it's delivered. Right now they only have one."

"What would you have me do?"

Sam laughed. "A King asking little old me for advice. My ma would think me mad if I ever told her that I'd met an American King and he asked me for advice. But honestly, give these men an inch and they'll shoot you in the head."

"Is it truly this barbarous out here?"

"Worse. I've killed men and women for food; I've killed them for less. It's rough, and horrible, but that's just the world now."

Ezekiel eyes Sam skeptically. "You truly believe that this is the way of the world now?"

Sam shrugged. "I make conclusions off of what I see."

"Yet the good Pastor tells me you believe in God."

"Not the point."

"Isn't it?" Ezekiel asked. "You cannot see God yet you believe. You cannot see the hope and goodness of men at the moment, but does that not meant that it is not there? I believe that men are redeemable, the Saviors no different; however if it were between my people and the Saviors I would choose mine. If this were not the case, I would have had you executed as soon as Dr. Finch told me what you had done."

"Some men are redeemable, fine. But look at all of those Saviors, do you think that bit one of them enjoys the killing he's done? That he revels in the chaos and the blood?" Sam shook his head and looked at the King. "You want my advice. Prepare for war. I don't think you're a fool m'lord, but f you think that those men are on your side, if you think they won't hurt you, then you're wrong."

Ezekiel looked pensive and looked out at the rapidly moving countryside. The open fields, the grass that was slowly dying from the turning of the seasons.

"I cannot go to war with the Saviors." Sam scoffed. "They are to numerous. However, what if they were to come under fire from a group of marauders? A group of-"

"Raiders," Sam said, smiling a bit. "What if the Saviors convoys, patrols and the like were hit?"

"Their numbers would be depleted some. And if it ever came to war between the Saviors and the Kingdom, they would be fighting on two fronts."

Sam smiled. "M'lord, I like this idea."

* * *

"Gentlemen thanks for coming," Sam said as he strode into the throne room. The King was away so it was simply Sam and five other men that he had elected to offer a place with him.

"What's going on Sam?" Darrius asked from his seat in the theatre.

"Yeah what gives?" Ethan Luain echoed.

"I'll get to that. First though, I need your word, all of yours, that what is said here right now will stay here. Not gonna lie, it's gonna be some heavy shite, and some of you may not like it, but, everything here is for the good of the Kingdom and the King has sanctioned it. Now, do I have your word?"

They all nodded and sat up in their chairs wondering what the C.I.A spook act was for.

"Who here knows about the Saviors?" Darrius raised his hand, having been a senior officer in the Kingdoms Militia, but the others looked around confused at the name. Sam forced a smile and ten explained them, who they were, what they did, what the Kingdom was doing for them. And then, he began to explain the plan. "The Saviors and the Kingdom are a cinder box with a lit match near. The King knows this, and he also knows that we aren't strong enough to fight them straight on. That is where we come in. We fight the Saviors, Inglourious Basterds style. Guerrilla style fighting, we hit the Saviors and then we run. When the spark is lit and the Saviors decide to fuck with the Kingdom, we'll have whittled them down enough for it to be a fair fight, what do you all say?"

To say that their response was overwhelming would have been a poor description. Each of the Kingdoms soldiers were loyal to the Kingdom, and any threat they would gladly kill in order to preserve their home.

* * *

"You know that speech was quite something. Gave me chills." Although they had subsided in the past few months, the hallucinations were still there at times. And they still taunted him, poking holes at him, often appearing at the most random times, or like right now, a bit awkwardly.

Richard was in the room going over what he knew about the Saviors patrols and habits, and Beth was lying on his bed, naked. It was a bit distracting for Sam.

"Now this road here is where some Saviors like to pass through. It's near the Kingdom though so-"

"It'd probably be best to follow 'em out a bit. Don't worry; we won't be circling around the Kingdom much. Besides, why would they suspect you? It's been what, a year, year and a half, since you've been giving to them? It's too long a time frame."

"Oh Sam, getting tactical?" He tried to tune her out, but his eyes couldn't help glancing over at the bed every once in a while.

Richard nodded and scratched his chin. "Don't worry about resupply much. The King has agreed to a few dead drop locations marked here and here. Canned goods mostly, you can't exactly be eating fresh vegetables all the time. Saviors would catch on."

"Right. Any body armor, Kevlar? I like the Kingdom stuff just fine, but it's a bit iconic. Any Saviors that do manage to get away would know it the minute they saw it." Beth waved at him when his eyes roamed over and he quickly looked back to Richard, his face burning.

"Darrius is digging some out of storage. I wish I could be out there with you guys. But, if too many of us go then they'll piece it together. Dianne, Jerry and I have been going to the drop offs since it started. If we stop going-"

"War. Don't worry. By the time it gets here, we'll be ready. These Bastards won't know what hit 'em. Speaking of which," Sam stood and walked over to where Bastard was sleeping, curled up next to the bed. As Sam bent down to pet the dog he felt Beth's hand grip his shoulder softly and then her mouth hovered next to his ear.

"You know what you can do on this mission."

"I want you to keep Bastard. Well, _you_ don't have to keep him, but he's staying in the Kingdom. I don't want him in a warzone. Plus, I think the kids would kill me if I took him away." He stood up and let the dog sleep. "Make sure he's taken care of?"

Richard nodded. "I promise. Just do me a favor?"

"Course."

"Hit 'em hard. These men are monsters, kill 'em all."

Sam smiled and shook Richards's hand. "Promise mate. It'll be the Saviors that need saving."

Richard left and Sam was now alone with a naked hallucination.

"Well that was fun."

"Shut up."

"Oh come on. I know you can see the humor in this. Besides it's not like anyone got hurt."

Sam shoots his head and began packing his bag for the mission.

"Sam. You know what you can do on this mission."

"And what is that?" He asked, annoyed at the hallucination.

"Find us."

* * *

AN: Sup everyone! So this is gonna be fun is it not? Sam and a handful of men against the Saviors. Whooo! Yeah! anyway, so will Sam find the group before Negan finds them? I don't know maybe, maybe not. Maybe he won't even find the group until the war starts or maybe he'll die and never see them again. Who knows! Now, please leave a review I'll try and post one on Christmas Eve if I don't then it'll most likely be the day after Christmas. Review! ~Pacco1


	35. Guerrillas

Ch. 35

AN: Hey guys so I threw something in here for you for Christmas, though I'm not sure how it came up. Featured in this chapter is the very first Lemon that I have written for all of you! Not sure how it is but, I tried! Anyway enjoy Merry Christmas! Review!

* * *

"A poor old man, came riding by."

"And we say so. And we know so."

"O, a poor old man, came riding by."

"O, poor old man."

Sam would chant the first line and then the other men would follow up with the next line. During his stay in the Kingdom, the men who had served in the military were found of putting the militia through hikes in the woods. When Sam had first joined they were usually quiet and would only be accompanied by the sounds of their boots.

Sam had gotten tired of that rather quickly and had taught some of the militiamen a few of the old sea shanties that he had learned when he had been in his school's band. It passed the time and made some of the men feel like actual soldiers, if not that then somewhat badass.

"Says I, "Old man your horse will die."

"And we say so. And we know so"

"And if he dies we'll tan his hide."

"O, poor old man."

There were six in the group. Sam himself who had been chosen to lead the small expedition due to the King thinking he was the only one up to scratch and with the necessary experience.

Then there was Darrius. He was an experienced man when it came to fighting; he had been the Kingdom's leading expert on swords and CQC, not to mention he could put pretty much anyone to shame on the range, though Sam knew that the range and combat were two _completely_ different things.

Then there was Ethan, resident sarcastic asshole. Handy with a gun and best with a knife. He and Sam would often be seen together in the Kingdom shooting the shit, and every once in a while playing five finger fillet. The tops of both of their left hands were riddled with small scars and even a few fresh scabs from a few later nights where they had gotten drunk and presumed that they could still perform the dangerous game.

Allen was next. A bit of a religious man, quoted scripture sometimes but he was a good shot, he had been serving with the Kingdom for a while, not to mention he had a bit of experience with fighting. There had been a group of marauders terrorizing the Kingdom before Sam had gotten there and Allen had been a part of the team that had taken them out.

And that team was led by none other than Javier Alvarez, who liked to go by his last name. He had been in the Marines, served for ten years and had several tours in Afghanistan. He was one of the men in charge of training the Kingdoms militia, but both Sam and Ezekiel thought it best for him to join the crew.

The final man was Jacob Edwards. He was seen by himself most of the time and tended to observe rather than interact. That being said he was also bat shit crazy and loved to blow shit up. Rumor around the Kingdom was that he was in the army and that they had discharged him when he had made a makeshift bomb which he kept in the barracks.

"And if he don't I'll ride him again."

"And we say so. And we know so."

"And I'll ride him, 'Til the Lord knows when."

"O, poor old man."

They were marching through the woods just out of sight of the road. The Walkers numbers around the area were thin. Every few miles that they had marched they had stumbled across a group of five or six, but other than that, barren.

"He's dead as a nail. In the lamp room door."

"And we say so. And we know so."

"And he won't come, worrying us no more."

"O, poor old man."

Sam looked down at his map and ran a few calculations in his head. They had been walking for a few days and they had marched ten miles at least every day. If he was right then they were close to a junction in the road where the Saviors were known to cross.

Sam raised his fist and the group stopped chanting and began to march in silence.

"What is it?" Darrius asked.

"We're close. Don't want 'em to hear us if they stopped. Last thing we need is them ambushing us." Sam put the map in his jacket pocket and unslung his rifle from his shoulder and held it in his arms. "You ready for this?"

"What show some sons of bitches the wrong end of a gun? Hell yeah. Richard and me, when the deal was made, we didn't want any of that shit. But he's the King."

Sam nodded and wiped the sweat from his face. "Aye, he's smart, but a bit naive. Thinks that everything's gonna work out with the Saviors. He thought that it'd be perfect forever. No, men like them 'll push and push until they get everything."

"That's why we're gonna go and kill 'em!" Ethan whooped.

"Quiet!" Sam hissed. "You want those shites to know we're here?"

Allen smacked Ethan's head and the group began moving again. There was no engine noise from up ahead. There wasn't a smell of gas in the air or gunpowder and blood so Sam figured that they would be alright to get a bit closer to the crossroads.

They spread out along the tree line, at least five feet between each other. Darrius stood at one flank and Ethan at the other. Alvarez stood at Sam's left while Allen took his right.

Despite the small distance, Sam could hear Allen mumbling prayers under his breath. Sam took a few quick breaths and performed the cross. With any luck they would find the crossroads empty and be able to set up a proper ambush for the Saviors.

They made their way slowly, each step taken at the same time so to avoid the Saviors narrowing in on a certain area should a noise be heard. The trees were beginning to thin out and soon enough the yellow paint on the road could be seen in the distance.

Sam whistled sharply and the group stopped. He raised his hand and held it up so that his ring and middle finger were down. He then moved his pointer and pinkie forward and knelt down. Ethan and Darrius moved forward slowly, their rifles aimed forward while Sam tapped Allen and motioned him toward a climbable tree. With a quick nod the man stood and began scaling it.

Another whistle was heard and Sam saw Darrius raising a thumb up into the air. He tapped Jacob and motioned him forward. The boy sprinted up and then Sam saw him burst out of the cover of the trees and into the center of the crossroads. He set his backpack down and began fiddling with a pressure cooker he had stored in the pack. One thing about the boy's time in the army that Sam was enjoying was that he knew how to make a fucking great bomb.

Alvarez had moved out of the wooded section they were in, opting to go across from the main group and try to catch the Saviors in a crossfire. Sam tapped Ethan and motioned for him to follow which the man did without hesitation.

Sam could see Jacobs's lips moving as he arranged the IED preparing it to blow. Sam couldn't tell if he was singing or talking to himself. The boy was definitely unhinged, but he was good at what he did.

There was a series of whistle coming from the tree Allen had climbed up, and then Sam heard car engines up in the distance. Sam grabbed his flash light and flashed it across the road. Another light flashed and then Jacob whistled before moving out of the road.

Sam angled himself against a tree, getting cover but also a perfect view of the street.

 _Please Lord make me stronger, faster, and more accurate than my enemy,_ Sam prayed quickly.

The engine grew louder and louder and Sam's knuckles tightened around the grip of his rifle. This was it, the Kingdoms first strike against the Saviors. If they succeeded then they would fight again, and again. They would weaken the Saviors until the Kingdom could fight them on their own terms. But first they had to make it through this fight.

Jacob stood to Sam's left and Sam lifted his hand just above the boy's shoulder, ready to tap it at a moment. The car got closer and closer. Sam whistled up to Allen who whistled down three times. _Three whistles, three cars._

The engines were clear as day and soon enough Sam saw a glint of metal passing quickly followed by another and then another. He tapped Jacobs shoulder and the boy pressed down on the detonator. A burst of flames erupted from the pressure cooker. The bang made Sam's ears ring slightly but then aimed his rifle and looked for a target.

One of the cars was on fire men screaming as they tried to escape the flames. The other two cars stopped and four men piled out of each car rushing to the burning one just hoping to help. Sam lined up a shot and pulled the trigger. A sharp crack sounded thought the air and a man dropped dead as Sam's bullet pierced his body.

Darrius dropped another man and soon a torrent of gunfire descended onto the Saviors. They barely had any time to return fire before most of them were on the floor dead. Two went to take cover on the opposite side of the cars, and that was when Alvarez and Ethan fired. They were quick bursts over as soon as they began. And then, the world was quiet. No birds, no gunshots, Sam even held his breath. As the ringing in his ears went down, Sam lowered the rifle.

"Clear?" He shouted to Alvarez.

"Clear!"

"Coming out!"

They met at the burning car. The smell was burning flesh and metal with blood and gunpowder.

"Well shit," Ethan said as he stepped over a body. "They went down easy."

"We ambushed 'em," Sam said quickly. "It's not this easy. We jus' took 'em by surprise is all. Get the ammo, we'll take a car, find a place to spend the night."

"The bodies?" Darrius asked. "They'll turn."

Sam nodded. "Let 'em. We need a message. Decent people would put 'em out, we aren't supposed to be."

Alvarez and Darrius nodded. "You got it boss."

* * *

The rain pounded the earth with vengeance. Sam could feel each fat drop pound his head soaking his hair and clothes. He could feel the water rolling down his face and into his beard.

"Come on! We don't get there on time one of us is gonna get the iron!"

"You mean you will! It's your fault that we're running late."

"Fuck you Davis! That fucking Hilltop prick couldn't get a word right if he fucking tried."

"He tries that again just punch the fuck."

Sam pulled the trigger and the crack of the rifle sounded like thunder in the storm. One of the men dropped dead and the remaining six. Took cover behind their vehicles.

"Where's it come from?"

"It had to be high! Check the fucking trees!"

Sam whistled out a series of notes. _Da Da Da Doooooooo Do!_ The call came from another part of the forest surrounding the road.

"Shit! Is it them?"

"Fuck!"

Another crack and Sam could see the rainwater caring the blood away. Several of the men fired blindly into the trees before ducking down and reloading. Sam raised his left fist and opened and closed it rapidly.

A canister rolled up to the Saviors and soon a large amount of smoke enveloped then. Sam slung his rifle and drew his sword. Darrius met him halfway and together they crept into the smoke side by side.

* * *

Abandoned gas stations seemed to be a small hub to certain Saviors. While the outposts were main bases, gas stations did have an appeal to the traveling Saviors. Specifically the group led by Little Timmy.

He wasn't going to lie; he was a big deal in the Saviors. While most belonged to either the Sanctuary or an Outpost Little Timmy was free to go out and claim tribute from anyone that he found and bring it back.

"Stevie! Bring me the map now!" Timmy asked as he and his men lounged on their bikes. Steve rose from his bike and walked over to Timmy with the map.

Timmy gripped it and then a bang was heard and blood splattered in his face and Steve fell to the floor. More shots went off and his men began to drop.

 _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Timmy gripped the map and tried to wipe the blood off only to stain it more.

"Alright! Come on T, I got-"

* * *

The last bike fell with a precise shot to the head from Allen. They collected the ammo and began to search the bodies for maps and the like. Ever since they had begun their crusade, Sam had been trying to find bigger targets than patrols, but luck seemed to escape him in that regard.

Saviors always seemed to be protective of the maps, ensuring their destruction before they were killed. Sam was sure to see the map before they killed the men. He walked to the biker with the map and looked it over.

 _Sanc-_ Sam could read before the blood stains blocked out the rest. _Ou-st 3. Library Group. Hi-op._ The blood kept many of the names and location hidden, but there was one that stood out to Sam. _Library Group._

Sam knew that there were other groups that served the Saviors. The Kingdom was good friends with the Hilltop and regularly traded for spears and swords that they manufactured. But more? That was definitely something he could check out.

"Sam, the bikes?" Ethan asked as he mounted one.

"What?"

"Think about it, more maneuverable than a car, plus if we're going for intimidation, this is it!"

Sam eyed the bikes and then his hand gripped one of the handle bars, and he smiled. "Pick the one you want boys."

* * *

He was back in the prison. This one was new. Usually he was in the funeral home, but today he was going way back. The cell was the same as when he had left. A comfortable bed, a roof and curtains that provided semi-privacy.

Beth walked through them and Sam could feel a smile come onto his face. Dreams were always so much better than hallucinations.

"What are you doing here?" Beth asked.

Sam remembered the day. Sasha had wanted to go on a run, so she had taken Sam place on one, leaving his day blissfully free.

"Day off. Thought I would read a bit," Sam motioned to the book that was in his lap.

"Really now? You have the day off and we have the cell block to ourselves and you wanted to read?"

"Well, you see I..." Sam had never been the best when it came to speaking in the subject of sex. He was nervous and awkward. Beth on the other hand was perfectly fine speaking about it, hell she was the one that had initiated their first time.

"Strip." She orders as she closed the curtains and tied them so that they wouldn't open.

"Yes ma'am."

(Lemon Attempt)

When they had both stripped Beth had practically pounced on him slamming his back up against the bed as she smashed her lips onto Sam's. He broke the kiss and latched his mouth to her neck and lightly bit down making her let out a moan.

Beth pushed him down and then positioned herself over Sam's manhood. Sam took a breath in anticipation as she slowly lowered herself into him. They both moaned together as he entered her and Beth leaned down to kiss him.

She began to rock back and forth and Sam took the moment to take one of her nipples in his mouth and begin to suck on it making Beth moan again. His hips rose slightly thrusting into her.

Sam brought Beth down again and kissed her again she began to pick up the pace at which she was moving her hips and when they broke the kiss Sam whispered. "I love you."

Beth smiled and then let out a soft moan, "I love you too."

He felt his orgasm coming and his breath began to shudder just as Beth's walls began tightening around him.

(Lemon Attempt Over)

Sam opened his eyes and he was back in the woods with a bit of a problem. The others were still asleep so he got up and walked in the opposite direction of where Alvarez was keeping watch.

 _Stupid fucking dream,_ Sam thought to himself bitterly as he pressed his back onto a tree and slipped his hand down his pants. He paid no attention to the Walker that was trapped under a fallen tree nor the rising sun that turned the sky a nice shade of pink. He especially didn't pay attention to the sign that said Alexandria….. 15 miles.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! So how'd I do on that lemon? It's not the best but, hey I'm trying. That was my Christmas present to you guys so I hope you enjoyed it and have a great Christmas or whatever it is that you celebrate! Please Review! ~Pacco1


	36. This is War

Ch. 36

Six bikes sped down the highway. Their riders coats billowed in the wind and their goggles blocked out the heavy rain from the early fall rainstorm.

Sam kept the plastic wrapped and bloodstained map in front of him as he led his small band. From the clear areas on the map he tried to get to a location known as the Library. Based on where the Kingdom was on the map it was about forty miles away. Sam and company had been sure to stay at least fifty miles out from the Kingdom in order to prevent the Saviors from thinking that they were coming from there.

But after making out what he could from the map, Sam realized that there were more communities out there. Everyone in the Kingdom knew about the Hilltop, but other than that, they assumed that the only places left were the Saviors outposts. But with more communities, well that only meant more people that could fight against the Saviors when the time came.

So that was why Sam and the others were barreling down the road in scavenged Savior gear, which was just like regular clothes, except traveling groups of Saviors seemed to be more uniform. That being said, all six men wore long coats, black boots, and were even moving in a tight formation. Sam rode at the front with Allen and Ethan trailing him, then Alvarez and Jacob next and then Darrius moving in the back.

The engines were loud meaning that their approach would be heard from a decent distance away. Traveling Saviors often rode bikes and so Sam was sure that the Library group would be ready to receive them

As they got closer Sam began to feel a knot form in his stomach as he began to over think. What if the group decided that they would try to rebel? What if they didn't believe he was a Savior and turned him away? What if the Saviors were already there? Is grip on the handle bars tightened and he looked back down at the map. Even if the Saviors were there, Sam and company were already to close and would have been heard by then.

* * *

As they were pulling up to the doors of the Library a man came out, looking spooked but still smiled, if a bit forced, and held out his hand for Sam to shake.

"H-Hello! I haven't actually seen you before! Um, welcome to the Library, we've hosted a few Travelers before; we'll have a few rooms set up."

"Stop," Sam said as he took a look at the library. It was smaller than he expected. It stood at two stories and could have passed for a small mansion instead of a library. "Lead me in, and then gather your people. I have an announcement."

The man nodded and ten quickly led them into the library. The library itself had a high ceiling and the front had two hallways, one had the words Children written above in a curly and brightly colored font while the other had Adult written in clear neat letters.

A second later the man came running back his face red and sweaty. Sam could see several people behind him their heads bowed and they quickly moved to the children's section of the library. Some who did look up and caught his eye quickly averted their eyes and began waking faster.

"Jesus," Allen said as the people scurried off. "They're really scared of them."

"Professional killers," Sam muttered, "they're right to be scared of 'em."

"They're gathering, could I get you anything? Water? Food?"

"Just get show me to the meeting place."

They walked through the short bookshelves that the children used. He was surprised that the library seemed relatively untouched. Besides a few bloodstains and the like, no major damage. Though the blood stains were hard to look at, especially in the children's sections.

There were about forty people, about an equal mix of women and men with a few children scattered around in a children's reading area where the library most likely held story time. Most avoided Sam's gaze while some met his eyes with barely contained hatred.

"Listen, so it's no secret that the Saviors are a bunch of airseholes." A few of the children gasped at the language and Sam cringed. "Uh, the kids can go, so can their parents."

The people seemed a bit shocked and hesitated moving. But Sam didn't speak and simply looked at the children. He didn't want them to hear what he was going to say, plus being interrupted by then gasping at every swear was not something he had the patience for.

Eventually a mother stood up and lifted her child and they quickly moved out of the space rushing past him and his men. The other children and their parents moved as well and soon Sam was ready to continue.

"Look, the Saviors aren't the best, if fact they're some of the worst people I've seen. They make you all produce for them, make you give them half you're shite. If you don't they kill one of you." The people collectively tensed.

"Was our last drop light?" One of them asked.

"It must be a mistake!"

"Please take what you want please!"

"No!" Sam shouted. "Listen, I'm not a Savior. None of us are. If fact, we fight those airseholes." The group paused and those that Sam had seen look at him with nothing but contempt lean forward. "We kill them. For the last two months we've been moving place to place killing the shites. There's only six of us though. What we need are more men. We've barely put a scratch in their numbers. I need people who aren't afraid to kill, to take the fight to them."

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" A woman from the back shouted.

"Would Saviors cared about the kids hearing the swearing? Would the Saviors of done any of this? No, they would've killed one of you and then told you to get back to work." Sam unholstered his pistol and several people gasped and tried to move back.

"Sam," Allen said taking a step forward but Ethan held him back.

Sam put the pistol on the ground and then kicked it over to the crowd.

"You don't believe me, take it then. We'll take you back with us, and we'll teach you how to use it, how to fight the Saviors, how to kill the fuckers."

"Why do you fight 'em?" A man shouted.

"Because I've done bad shite. I do bad shite. But I'm a bad man, and I do it to bad men now. They're bad people, and they hurt innocent people. So I kill 'em." Sam couldn't exactly tell them he was waging war for the Kingdom. If there were spies, or sympathizers then the entire thing would be blown and the Kingdom would be the Saviors first target. "I came here to ask you to join up with me. To kill the bastards that treat you like slaves. I came here for soldiers."

They all began to glance around at one another. Sam could see that many were scared at what he was suggesting. Fighting, going to war. They had been relatively safe in their library among the books and "protection" of the Saviors. But what life was it when the Saviors would simply kill one of them if a shipment was light or late.

Fear and confusion were soon replaced with anger and a sense of responsibility. A responsibility to protect each other, to fight their oppressors. And an anger for all the people that had been killed and taken at the whim of Negan.

A man stood up. "I'll go. I'll fight the bastards."

Sam nodded and then a woman stood up. Then slowly and surely more stood and said they would join. And Sam smiled, for he was getting the army he needed.

* * *

Two cars followed Sam and his men. Sam was sure to wind them up through the back roads and highways in case any of them were spies that they would be so turned around that they wouldn't know which way was east. Though even then it wouldn't matter much, Sam forbade the group from making camp at the same place once or the same area too often.

They finally came to a stop at an old ranger station that sat by itself in the woods. It had at least two years worth of apocalypse dust in the windows and there was a Walker hanging from the ceiling fan still. There was enough room in the small office for the entirety of the new group of Guerrillas and soon enough they were loading supplies for the night.

Sam could see from their fresh clean faces that most had probably been in that library since the beginning though there were a few that looked to be actual soldiers. Either way the lot of them would begin training the next day. The Saviors would get a break from attacks for a bit until the new group was up to scratch. However long it would take.

* * *

In total there were ten people that had joined making the splitting of the groups rather easy. At the moment there were two groups of five stalking through the hills of Virginia, each armed with rifles stolen off of the Saviors but with only one round in each magazine. They were instructed not to fire off a shot and if they encountered a Walker, to simply use a knife.

Sam and the others stood at the highest point in the hills looking down and observing the groups as they moved. Overall he had to say, they were complete and utter shit.

"Why does the lead of that group keep looking at his shoes?" Darrius asked as he looked through his binoculars.

"One guy keeps changing the shoulder he uses for the rifle," Ethan laughed.

"Fuck me not even Boots were this fuckin' bad," Alvarez said.

"Any good comments?" Sam asked the group.

"They're going in the right direction." Allen deadpanned.

Yeah, Sam had to give them that. If they weren't going in the right direction then Sam would have probably let them wander off until they died. So Allen was right, they did have that going for them.

When the groups got closer Sam shouted for them to circle up which they took their goddamn time to do. When they finally did circle up Sam could see them holding their guns loosely and that some of the barrels were even pointed at others. _Fuck it, if they shoot each other then let 'em._

"Alright, Ned, Jane, Rory, Damien, and Prim take a knee. Alright, everyone else, why are they on their knees?" There was a small silence and the ones standing up looked at each other uneasily.

"Dead?" Rory asked. Rory was a slim and brown haired boy that was a bit small for his age. He had been a bit older than Carl when the whole thing had started and was the second youngest person in the new batch of the Guerrillas.

"Exactly! Thank you!" Sam smiled. "They're dead. Remember guys if we lose even one of you, it is hard to replace. The Saviors have dozens and dozens of men. The Saviors see you, they'll kill you, the Saviors catch you they'll kill you."

They all paled a bit and Sam looked to Alvarez and nodded.

"Right, did you see our position when you came over the crest of that hill? No, you didn't. Because while you were all out there marching up the hill you were looking at your shoes trying to keep them clean. You weren't looking up at the ridge where the Saviors would have been hiding. But look at the bright side, there'd be clean shoes on your corpse."

"Listen we're just trying to keep you all alive," Allen said stepping up to the group. "Sam wanna show 'em?"

He nodded and unslung his rifle. "Here take it." He said handing a box of matches to Rory. "You see that rock covered in bird shite? Put it over there."

The rock he was talking about was more of a small boulder. Rory ran off into the distance and set the box down. Sam aimed down at the rock where Rory had set the match box and lined up the shot.

His hand wrapped around the grip of his rifle and he slid his finger up and down the trigger. He could feel the eyes of the newbees on him and tried to block out the tension and anticipation that they excluded. With a gentle squeeze a crack was heard in the air and a bullet went flying toward the match box setting it ablaze when it hit.

"You got it!" Rory shouted from below and Sam smiled slowly getting up from his shooting stance.

Sam stepped up again. "That's what you need to do, every time you aim downrange. We're fighting Guerrilla style lads, we get the first shot, always make it count. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

It was foggy, the grey air moved silently through the woods, proving to be both a danger and a blessing. The Walkers were easily concealed but it was the perfect time for an ambush, as well as breaking in the newbees. A larger group of Saviors were camped out in the fog, their campfire a beacon in the fog.

Jacob had stumbled across them when he had seen their cars pull up as he was on his way back from a run.

So Sam and the others decided that they should use the opportunity as the perfect training exercise. Sam and the others would hold back, keep the recruits covered unless they were in dire need for them to step in and handle the rest of the Saviors.

Sam was currently perched in a tree his scope looking toward the fire that the Saviors had lit. "Report." He whispered into his radio.

"Ethan here."

"Darrius, copy."

"This is Alvarez, solid copy."

"Go for Allen."

"Heyo! It's Jacob!"

"Alright, remember let them handle it, line up your shots and be ready."

The recruits were moving in and Sam nodded with approval with their U formation as well as all their weapons being up and ready. As they closed in one of the Saviors stood up and went towards a tree to piss, at least based on his stance of one hand on the tree and the other on his manhood that was what Sam assumed he was doing.

That was just as the group entered the point in the fog where the Saviors could see.

"What they? Shit!" a gun went off and the Savior dropped. Sam kept his eye in the scope and traced the man he had in his sights. He reached for a gun but then a bullet tore into his head and he dropped down. There were a few quick bursts of gunfire and soon enough the Saviors were driven into cover. _Need to work on their aim._

There were three Saviors that were in cover. Sam could hear them shouting at each other trying to find out what they were going to do. The fog hid their shadows from him so the newbees would be on their own to deal with it.

"Hey! You the shits that've been hitting Negan's routes?"

"Maybe!" Sam recognized Rory's voice. "Who're you?"

The Savior laughed. "Didn't you hear? I'm Negan!"

"Yeah, I've heard there's a few of you."

"Listen kid, I get it. You think war's some grand adventure, Hell you're probably from one of the outposts, am I right?" Rory didn't say anything. "Listen, we're going to surrender, that alright?"

 _No._ "Toss your guns out. Then come out slowly."

"The fuck?" Sam began to climb out of the tree and jogged his way over. The Saviors had tossed their guns and were walking toward Rory and the rest of the newbees when Sam had arrived.

"Sam we-" He ignored Rory and raised his rifle shooting the three Saviors that were standing before him. "What the Fuck?"

"No prisoners. They get loose they kill us, run back to the real Negan. Plus more mouths, more time wasted watching them."

"Sam you didn't have to-"

"Yes I did. These shits aren't worth the air they breathe. Want to know what capturing get us? Nothing."

"We- you didn't need to do that!"

"Rory, no, all of you listen up. This is war; this is what we are doing here and now! The Saviors are the enemy, we _kill_ the enemy! It is that simple. Anything else is a waste of resources."

* * *

That night, while everyone slept in the trees Sam stood watch. The darkness that surrounded the trees was a good cover and the Walkers seemed to have stopped roaming solo opting to travel in larger groups. Saviors seemed to never go out at night since Sam's roads had begun. Watch at that point was simply a formality.

"Sam." Though there were still a few night owls it seemed.

"Yes, Rory?"

"The men you killed."

"Rory, it is war." He looked over and saw the red eyes that boy was sporting and his mind went back.

 _Sam was standing over a lake. Blood stained his face and hair. His hand dips into the water and splashed the cool liquid on his face._

"I know its war, but. Does it get easier?"

"Yes." Sam said his thoughts still on the boy he had seen in the lake water. "It hurts at the beginning. But I got used to it, because it's jus' something that needs doing. It's war, and it's necessary."

"But, did you really need to kill them? They were surrendering."

"Tell me Rory. What's better; killing a wolf instantly, or wounding the wolf bringing it back with you? Because one day the wolf 'll be healed, and when you aren't looking, it'll sink its teeth into your neck."

"What if you try and bring the wolf to your side?"

Sam smiled at that the boy must've thought was a good question. "Training the dog involves beating it. Could you do that?"

* * *

AN: I'm tired so I didn't even attempt to try and look though for typos very hard. I'll try and post one more by next week. Do you guys think I should bring the group back already or do you guys want the group to stay away for a bit? I'm not sure myself. Let me know my friends! I'll see you next time. Review! ~Pacco1


	37. Looking with Jesus

Ch. 37

"So, then you just guide the knife along the edge of the blade. There's no real trick to it, but what I like to do is have something that's usually tough to cut nearby, just to test it, aye?" Sam said to Rory as he ran his knife along a whetstone. The boy had been having trouble with his knife, penetrating the skulls of Walkers and the like, so Sam had asked if he had been keeping it sharp. The boy had simply blinked and said ' _It's a knife, it's already sharp._ '

"Y-yeah," Rory said his eyes elsewhere and his knife barely gliding against the whetstone.

"Alrigh', so do it."

"Right!" Rory jumped and began running the knife roughly along the sharpener, his face flushing beet red.

"Are you alrigh' lad?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course!" Rory stopped his heavy movements and went back to those that were too soft, and then his face went back up.

Sam raised an eyebrow and followed Rory's gaze. The camp that they had erected was pretty standard. A central fire laid in the center while their containers filled with food were strung up among the trees where they also slept. The only thing that remained on the ground were the vehicles, but as they were about to move out, the group was bustling about trying to load their supplies into the cars. But the car that little Rory was staring at was where little Prim was loading supplies.

"Well Rory, I can see that you're not exactly thinking about the knife you have in your hand right now." Rory looked up and his face was even redder than it had been the first time.

"W—what? No! I, uh, no Sam!"

He began laughing and sheathed his knife. "It's fine, this isn' a reprimanding, I mean Hell, go for it far as I'm concerned. Just remember why we're here." Sam stood and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Go and help her load, I need to find Darrius."

"Right here boss!" Sam turned and saw the dark-skinned swordsman walking toward him. "What do you need?"

"A soft bed and warm mean." They laughed and Ethan walked over carrying his map.

"Not to mention a shower. We all smell like shit."

"Aye to that. Lay the map down. Right, so we've been hitting them all along the I-95, and then here at the 88. It's starting to get cold again though, snows 'll come soon—"

"And we'll be without shelter freezing our dicks off," Ethan said. "I say we head back, we've done all we can this year. Take the winter off, start back in the spring."

"Agreed. Sam, I say we dump the Librarians back, then we go home."

"Sounds good. How many did we get? I mean, we've been at this four months, how many do you think we've got?"

Darrius stroked his beard and began counting in his head. "Fifty, at least. There were a lot of the bastards."

"Yeah, and we didn't even do a dent in his numbers. Fuck!"

"Calm down Ethan, this has got a lot of men. And they know about us, about what we do. If anything, we've scared his men. Not him, obviously, but his men, definitely."

* * *

The bikes stormed down the road and Sam couldn't stop thinking about the soft warm bed that he was going to lay in after his long hot shower and delicious meal. He felt giddy and the smile on his face couldn't be wiped off. The others were also oozing happiness as they neared home.

The familiar faces and rooms. It would be nice after their time out in the world, surrounded by Walkers and Saviors. When they entered the Kingdoms limits and the gates came into view Ethan let out a ' _Whoop!'_ of excitement and waved to the lookouts.

They rode through and slowed down before coming to a stop in the center of the Kingdom. A crowd began to gather around them and the children of the Kingdom began asking a million questions a minute, others looked at their bikes and sat on them, one kid actually went through one of Sam's saddlebags.

A dog busted from the crowd and tackled Sam to the ground and began to lick him fiercely.

"Bastard! I missed you too lad!" Sam got to a knee and began to pet the dog and scratch him behind the ear. "You look well-fed boy, I guess I have the kids of the Kingdom to thank for that."

"Enough!" A silence overtook the people of the Kingdom as Ezekiel's powerful voice boomed. "I am sure that you all have many questions for our brave men, but now is not the time. Now is the time for respite, brave ones, if you would follow me."

"Thank you m'lord." Sam bowed as he and the others followed the King.

* * *

"How goes the fight?" Ezekiel asked as Sam scrubbed his face clean of the dirt of the past four months. They were in the rooms that Ezekiel had prepared for Sam and the others when they returned. It was a large room with two tall windows that let in plenty of sunlight.

"As well as could be expected. We hit them as best we could, at first, they didn't even know what was happening. After the third convoy hey caught on, avoided cross streets and the like. We hit them where we can when we can. I didn't want to be out there with the group for the winter."

"Wise decision. If war were to befall us, would we stand a chance?"

"I'm not sure. If we got the Hilltop to fight, maybe. But there are too many variables. When the winter ends I want to go out and find more of the communities that they have under their boots. Recruit more like we did at the Library. But even then, it'll be a longshot."

The King nodded and walked to the window. He observed the children playing on the motorcycles and people walking about as if the apocalypse was not going on. Most of the people of the Kingdom were innocent when it came to the horror, and Ezekiel wanted it to stay that way.

"Very well. Rest, do what you will. But when spring comes, do what you think is wise, and let slip the dogs of war."

* * *

Wine and whiskey were rare commodities in the apocalypse, Sam would rarely ever drink, seeing how it dulled his senses as well as it being harder and harder to find. But when the King had announced that there would be alcohol served with dinner that night, the people of the Kingdom responded appropriately. They cheered and celebrated as they began to regain even more normalcy.

Sam himself was happy but told himself he would not go past two glasses. But that idea was thrown out the window as soon as Ethan and Darrius sat next to him with a bottle and three glasses.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam said as they began to pour. "No, I'm good lads."

"Come on Sam, we've earned it. Four months with nothing but guns, guts, and Walkers. We could use a little booze." Darrius said as he took a sip.

"Not to mention I've never banged sober," Ethan said as he downed his entire glass on one shot. "Oh, wow that's good."

Sam smiled as he saw Ethan tear up a bit. "You've never banged period, and if you can't handle the whiskey, don't drink the fucking whiskey, it's a waste at that point." Sam took his glass and sipped it as well.

"Please, I've banged plenty of times!" Ethan said as he poured himself another glass. "But I got a certain doctor Finch in my sights tonight."

Sam and Darrius rolled their eyes, knowing full well that Finch was more likely to cut his balls off with a scalpel then let him into her bed.

"Good luck with that one," Sam said.

"What about you Sam? Any girls in your sights tonight?" Darrius asked as he finished his first glass.

Sam laughed and shook his head. "No, I—no."

"What the _maidens_ of the Kingdom not to your taste?" Darrius ginned and leaned back in his seat.

"Yeah, Sammy? Those girls not to your liking?" Sam froze and sobered as he felt a hand rest on his chest. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Sam?"

"Uh right. Nothing wrong with the girls of the Kingdom, just—"

"Just what Sam?" Beth asked innocently.

"I should go."

* * *

He slammed his door shut and locked it as if it would keep a hallucination at bay. He moved to the windows and shut the blinds leaving his room in darkness besides the soft orange glow if the single lamp in the room.

"You were gone. I didn't see you for—"

"For four months. While you were out there in the fight. Interesting timing don't you think?" Beth strode around his room. "Nice upgrade from that broom closet that they gave you when you first got here."

"Go away." Sam took a quivered breath and looked at her. "Please."

"Why didn't you look? You were out there for four months, and what? You never thought to look for us?"

"There wasn't any time."

"Bullshit. You had plenty of time. How long was there between raids?" Sam swallowed his response. "Find us, Sam. You have a base, you have resources, find us!"

* * *

"The King will see you now," Jerry told Sam just as a gust of wind blew through the courtyard. It was definitely getting colder, but the snows had yet to fall. Sam was still on the fence on going out to look for the group, but the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, reinforced by the hallucination of Beth was making him want to go out.

He approached the throne, no longer fazed by Shiva, and fell to one knee. "M'lord."

"Samuel! I thought you would still be resting. After last nights celebrations and your time on the road, I assumed you would need the respite."

"I, well, I welcome the respite m'lord, however, guilt is keeping me from enjoying the relief." Ezekiel leaned forward in his chair and motioned for Sam to continue. "My original group is out there. They said that they were heading toward D.C. and, I need to find them. I am here to request that you allow me to go out, to find them."

"And when spring returns? What will you do then?" Ezekiel asked a bit snippily. "What if you were to fall?"

"Darrius is more than capable to lead the Raiders. Besides I'm sure that I'll be back before the snows melt. I spent more than half a year by myself, I can handle three months."

Ezekiel looked a bit apprehensive about it, but Sam knew that whatever the King said, he would go. He would much rather go out and deal with the cold than deal with the hallucinations for the next three months.

"I do not know if the Kingdom is prepared to lose you this suddenly."

"I'm not leaving completely. I'll be gone a week at a time before returning. M'lord, I need to find them." Beth appeared behind the throne followed by Rick, ten Merle, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie. "I need to find them, I've spent far too long not looking." Sam could feel the full force of the guilt washing over him as he spoke to the King. Not only the guilt but the loneliness of the road and the trauma that it had done to him.

"I will permit you to go," The King began, "but you must take one of your men with you. This is a crucial time for the Kingdom, and we cannot afford to lose you."

* * *

Allen rode beside Sam through the Virginian backwoods quickly. They had left the Kingdom a week ago and were now going through the country looking through settlements hoping to find anyone that had seen Rick and company. They started with the Library and then a few of the smaller outlying communities before Sam decided that the Hilltop might have the answers he was looking for.

So now he and Allen were pulling up to the gates of Hilltop awaiting their leader so they could gain entrance.

"You think you'll find them here?" Allen asked.

"Probably not. If Rick was here then he would already be the leader, arrogant prick."

"You don't like the guy?"

"Course I like 'im. Its jus' that it's either his way or the highway. Literally sometimes. Good guy, a bit brutal, but good."

"Brutal? Coming from you?" Allen laughed.

"Ha ha, fuck you too."

Someone finally called out to them and Sam looked up to see a bat balding man with a beard looking down at him and Allen.

"Can I help you?"

Sam smiled and stood up from his bike. "Hi there. Gregory, is it? My names Samuel, Samuel Conall. Now, I jus' have a couple of questions and then my colleague and I'll be on our way."

"Who are you?"

"I jus' said—"

"No, I mean who do you work for?"

"Myself. Now look, I just need you to tell me if you've heard of a man named Rick Grimes?"

Gregory blinked and took a step back on the platform that was connected to the wall around the Hilltop. He looked around at several of the lookouts all of whom were staring at Sam a bit wide-eyed.

"You know Rick?" And Sam felt his heard sore.

* * *

"There's a group that we've been serving. They call themselves the Saviors. Rick helped us take care of them in exchange for a trade deal between our two communities." Gregory explained. "That was a few days ago, they've gone home but they're be expected to be back in a few days."

Sam couldn't wipe the smile off of his face when he heard that Rick was still kicking but more than that, he was leading a community.

"Where are they?"

"Excuse me?"

"His community, where is it?"

"Jesus knows."

"Look, I don't exactly have time for praying so tell me where the fucking place is!"

"No!" Gregory said hastily. "No one of our men is called Jesus. You'll understand in a minute."

A man with long brown hair walked in with a face and beard much resembling that of modern-day representations of Jesus, and for a moment Sam was a bit shaken by what he was seeing.

"Ah, well, it seems you do represent Jesus," Allen said. "Nice to meet you, names Allen."

Jesus smiled and shook Allen's hand. "Good to meet you. You're Sam right, one of ricks crew?"

"I was. We got separated and left behind. I've been trying to find them for the past year. You know where they're at?"

"I should, they held me prisoner."

Sam actually smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like Rick."

* * *

The ride took another hour. Sam could feel his stomach churn with every second that it took to get there. His mind kept flashing through different scenarios. One where Rick and the others would embrace him. Another where they would shun him. One where they would all be alive, then one where most had died. Sam's mind was often overactive, hence the hallucinations, but now instead of making him see the ones he loved, it made him imagine what they would say.

"We're getting close," Jesus said from his seat behind Sam. "Another hour and we'll be there! Stay on this road!"

Sam nodded and sped up. He could feel his guts still churning, but then a small bit of anger began bubbling to the surface. They had left him, just left him alone with limited food. Was it the right choice, probably. But it still hurt like a son of a bitch that they didn't at least look for him, or send a scout of two to see if he was close.

"What's the name of the place?" Sam shouted over to Jesus.

"Alexandria." That sounded familiar.

"What a minute. I think—" _Crack!_

A small amount of blood hit the back of Sam's head and he felt Jesus' body slump against his back before it tumbled off the bike.

"Shit! Allen, Saviors!" Sam drew his pistol and ducked low on his bike. "Zig-Zag!"

Allen and Sam began to intertwine their bikes in figure eights while shots zoomed over their heads and peppered the ground. Sam could see several muzzle flashes coming from both sides of the road. Sam fired blindly into the brush but the Saviors kept firing.

"Sam, where do we go?" Allen shouted over the gunfire.

"Keep going. They stalked out I doubt they have cars!" Just then two jeeps rode out of the brush and began chasing after Sam and Allen. "Fuck me and my big mouth!"

Men popped out of the passenger seats and firing at Sam and Allen.

"Where?"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Allen split up, we'll circle round and meet up at the Library!" Sam turned quickly and then began driving through the woods before Allen could confirm the plan. One of the Saviors jeeps cut after him and Sam emptied what was left in his clip in their direction but the car simply kept coming at him. "Oh, you little fucker! Come on!"

He heard a loud pop from behind him and the bike began to wobble before it fell and scraped against the forest floor. Sam felt warm blood began to leak out of his leg and then the bike came to a sudden stop as it hit a tree.

The Saviors jeep circled around and Sam slid his leg out of the wreckage and slung his rifle that he had across his back for the ride forward bringing it to bear. "Come on. Come and get me."

"Left side!"

"Negan wants him alive!"

"Fuck that, he tries to kill me—" Sam popped out of cover and sent a burst of fire toward the voices before he went back down. "Shit! You good?"

"Fucker got me in the leg."

"Nice shot!" Sam sighed and shook his head hoping to clear it. The last thing he needed was Beth in the firefight.

"I'll get you in the head before long!" Sam shouted as he slammed a fresh magazine into his rifle. "Why don' you all jus' run along, and I'll be on my way!"

The Saviors laughed and Sam could hear the rustling of their footsteps. "No can do. You and yours have been causing a lot of trouble for the Saviors. You've killed a couple of my friends."

"Yeah, I've killed a lot of people's friends, gonna have to be a bit more specific!" Sam laughed and then sent another blast of gunfire.

"Look at you getting all ruthless!" Beth squealed. "Come on Sammy, get 'em!"

"Where's the rest of your group?"

"We're it! How's it feel to know that you lost all those men to just three guys?" Sam knew that taunting them was probably a bad idea, but what the hell, if he was going to die, it'd be with a smile. "To be honest, I don't know why anyone even fears you lot!"

A quick burst of gunfire hit the area he was hiding in and Sam laughed a bit madly. "Hit a nerve? How about this, one of you versus me. Winner goes free."

"They're not stupid Sammy."

"Go fuck yourself! Besides, Negan wants you alive!"

"I thought you didn't care about those orders! Besides, I'll manage to kill you lot before we even get there!"

More gunfire. But Sam didn't have to duck this time.

"Shit!"

"Behind us!"

Sam popped out, the two Saviors were firing into the woods while bullets were hitting the ground around them. Sam ended the brief firefight with a few quick shots to their heads. The silence overtook the forest and Sam scanned the trees looking for those that had saved him. He couldn't see anything other than the trees and gun smoke.

"Wonder who was helping you out. Allies, killers?" Beth whispered. "Maybe they're coming for you right now."

"Who's there?" Sam asked. "You have the drop on me, so do it, or come on out."

"Sam?" He recognized that voice. Sam smiled.

"Holy shite! Rory, that you?" Sam laughed and rested his back on the tree he had taken cover behind.

"Sam! Thank god! Saviors came in! We need your help!" Rory came out of the brush with Prim and another boy that had been in the group, Damien. "We got out and were trying to circle around and flank 'em."

"Shite, why are they hitting you?"

"Someone ratted us out. Surrounded the Library and just started shooting." Rory said. "We tried to hold 'em off but, there was a lot of 'em."

"Shite. Who sold you out?"

"Some asshole that stayed behind. He waited for us to be back in case it wasn't a Savior trap."

"Oh wow! What does that mean for the Kingdom," Beth said quietly.

"Not a damn thing, I never told them about it," Sam said quickly.

"Sam?" Rory asked.

"Nothing! Look we need to— Allen! Allen's going to the Library!" Sam realized. "We need to go! We need to—come on!"

* * *

Sam limped s fast as he could with Rory and the others leading and clearing the way for him. The woods were still crawling with Saviors and the dead from the Library were beginning to rise leading to the woods being filled with gunfire and screaming, which also made sneaking from the Saviors rather easy.

Sam could feel more blood flowing out of his leg with each step and soon enough he was feeling lightheaded. Beth was talking to him as well, telling him how he was most likely going to die of blood loss if the Walkers didn't get him. And despite it all, Sam could only think of how that would be an absolute shit way to go.

More Walkers appeared and Rory's group opened up on the dead. Sam began to lag behind them more and more with each step, and soon enough his vision began to get hazy, and then he fell to the ground. His foot was practically being pickled by his own blood in his boot and he could barely hold his own breath in his lungs.

"Sam!"

"Rory! Go! Go, leave me!" Sam felt his back fall on the forest floor and then darkness began to close in around his eyes. "Go. Go."

More gunshots filled his ears and he heard Rory shout for help. Someone came to his side and grabbed his face, patting it and telling him to stay awake. Before the darkness took him completely, he thought about how much he hated the hallucinations.

* * *

AN: So some stuff happened. Yes, Jesus is dead and the Library is destroyed even though the Library wasn't very important in terms of location. Rory is going to be a rather important character moving forward and yeah, that is about it. Review! ~Pacco1


	38. Fight With Me

Ch. 38

"Son, you gonna start playing or what" Hershel asked Sam as his fingers tranced the keys of the piano. "Come on now."

"Probably forgot how to play," Merle said as he and Daryl sat at a table playing cards, Sophia and Carl watching intently.

"Come on Sam," Beth nudged him. "Play."

Sam smiled and pressed down on one of the keys, a soft note sounding through the home. He had no idea what he was playing; his hands seemed to simply move on their own, gliding through the keys hitting each one quickly and precisely.

"I thought I heard you playing," Sam looked away from the piano and grinned as Rick walked in. "Haven't heard you play in a while."

"I haven't had time," Sam told him. "I've been busy."

"You work too much," Beth laughed.

"Sometimes work needs to be done."

"You don't have to do it yourself." Rick said.

Sam pressed a few keys and let the soft harmonies fill the room. The notes played easily enough and Sam began to forget about the other around him, opting to focus his attention on the keys. But Beth began to tap his leg trying to get his attention. He tried to tune it out but soon enough Beth began to press harder and harder on his leg until Sam looked over and tried to push her hand away.

The pain spiked when he looked down and soon blood was flowing out of the leg.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Sam's eyes opened and he saw a large blonde woman twisting a tourniquet on his leg while blood squirted out of his leg and onto her glasses.

"Sam! Stay down!" He turned and saw Rory and Damien trying to hold him down while he squirmed against them in pain. "Sam she's helping you!"

"Fuck! Knock me out!" Sam screeched before he grabbed Rory by the collar and brought him in close. "Hit me in the Fucking head and knock me out!"

Rory raised his fist and knocked Sam hard. Sam whipped his head around hand head butted the poor Kid.

"Harder Rory!" But Rory was backing away with a bloody nose leaving only Damien to try and hold Sam down. "Fuck! Doc, give me something or get some stronger shites in here!"

"I—I'm," the doctor stumbled over her words as she finished tying the tourniquet on Sam's leg. He could feel the pressure in his leg spike as the blood was caught up in the tourniquet.

"You need to relax!" Sam looked and saw Rick standing over him. "She's got you, but you need to relax!"

"He's losing a lot of blood!"

"Tell me something I don't fucking know!" Sam screamed at her. "Fuck!"

"There's a piece of shrapnel lodged in his leg. It nicked a blood vessel! I need to stitch it up but I need you to hold him down!"

Sam began to sob and laugh madly as he gripped the sides of the bed he was lying on. "Rory! There's a piece of wood wrapped in sponge in my pack! Fucking get it!"

Rory began to dig through Sam's bag with one hand, spilling most of the contents onto the floor until he found a small stick like the one Sam had described. He rushed over to his superior and Sam opened his mouth waiting for Rory to put it between his teeth. He bit down as hard as he could and then shouted through clenched teeth to pull the shrapnel out.

The woman gripped the piece of shrapnel out and a stream of blood hit her square in the face. She then turned and threw up on the ground and Sam could not believe that this was a doctor in the apocalypse. Someone yelled out to her and she wiped her mouth before turning back to Sam's bleeding leg.

She grabbed a needle and a piece of thread and Sam's leg spasmed as she began to stitch up his leg. But as the bleeding subsided and the noise died down, Sam's eyelids began to feel heavy. He smiled and laughed drawing the eyes of the others in the room.

"Now I fucking pass out."

* * *

When he came too, the sheets were changed, so were his clothes. His leg was sore and wrapped in a tightly in several layers of gaze and he could hear birds singing just outside of the window. He could hear footsteps in the room and he craned his neck to see who had entered. It looked to be the doctor, glasses blonde and a bit nervous looking, not to mention she was taking inventory of all of the medical supplies.

"Where's Rory?" Sam croaked out. "Where's the others?"

The woman froze and she looked at Sam. Her eyes widened and she backed into a desk. "You're, um, hi!"

"Rory, Prim, Damien, where are they?"

"Resting." A tall black man entered the room with a long stick and grim look. "You must be Sam. My names Morgan."

"Nice to meet you lad. You in charge here?"

"No, I'm not, but they sent me in here to talk to you—"

"Get a feel for me. I get it. Listen, I'm not here to kill anyone, I'm jus' trying to find some people and not get shot by the Saviors, bunch of pricks." Sam sat up and began rubbing his leg. "It wasn't even a bullet. My own bike fell on me. Granted I was being chased by Saviors, but still, wasn't a bullet that clipped me."

More footsteps and Rick walked in. Sam scoffed and wished that just once the damn hallucinations would leave him be.

"It's good to see you Sam," Rick smiled, "Never thought I'd see you again."

Sam tuned him out and looked at Morgan. "So, who's running the show?"

Morgan furrowed his eyebrows and looked to the doctor and then where the hallucination stood. "I thought you said you knew him."

"Sam, it's me," Rick said. "What, are you alright."

Sam blinked. He looked to Morgan, then Rick, then back to Morgan. "You—you can see him? You can see Rick?"

Morgan nodded slowly, but with a sense of understanding. "I can. He's here. How long were you out there? By yourself?"

Sam looked to the ground and nodded a bit "Six months. Maybe a bit longer. I've been seeing him, a few others. Is he— Rick, are you really, here?"

Rick nodded and took a few steps forward. "It's me, Sam. I'm here."

Sam laughed and felt a few tears spring up in his eyes. He tried to move off of the bed but the pain in his leg halted that thought and then he fell back onto his bed. "Fuck me! Rick, I knew you were alive. Hilltop told me so!"

"You've been to the Hilltop?" Rick asked. "When?"

"How long has it been since you found me?"

"A day."

"I was there a day ago. One of 'em was leading me here, a lad by the name Jesus. When I got ambushed he got clipped, and then Rory and co. found me pinned down behind a tree."

"Wait, Jesus got hit?"

"Aye, he's dead far as I'm concerned. Rolled off the bike and took a tumble. Were you and him close?"

Rick nodded slowly. "Yeah, we were. He helped us get in contact with the Hilltop, then take out an outpost of Saviors."

"Right. Sorry 'bout him." Sam said. He adjusted himself so that his good leg was hanging off of the bed and so that he was sitting up. "How long have you lot been here?"

"A little less than a year."

"Oh, alright. Well, I just, I was wondering, if—"

"She's here. She's fine. I just wanted to talk to you first, make sure you were alright. That you weren't, you know."

"Batshit? Don't worry, when I was alone, I was plenty mad, but, I'm alright now. What, they've gone down the past few months?"

"Good, I just had to be sure." Rick looked at Sam's leg. "Pretty good scar you're gonna get, I saw that you have a few others. Some probably needed stitches, now I remember when we were back in the Prison and on the road, you weren't really good at patching people up, let alone yourself. How'd you patch yourself up?"

Sam smiled. "I found a group. I was only alone for six months, the other time I was with a group. When I found out about the Saviors, The King asked me to fight 'em. Guerrilla style hit and run. Me and five others went out, eventually, we recruited Rory and a few others."

"What were you doing at the Hilltop?"

Sam gave Rick a deadpanned look. "How many Walkers have you killed? How many people? Why?"

"Can you blame me?"

"Fuck you, Rick."

"Answer it then. How many Walkers? Since we last met at least"

"You mean since you left me? Should we include when I was out on that run?" Rick glared at Sam and the Irishman smiled. "Right. Probably close to a hundred since you left me, give or take a dozen or so."

"People."

"Probably around forty. Oh, don't look so surprised. I went to war Rick," Sam smiled. "Though to be fair, I did get about fifteen of those before I made it to the Kingdom."

"Did you—"

"Yes. I went back, again. Dog eat dog world, Rick, I did what I needed to. If it meant killing a few people that were weak, so be it." Sam could see the man named Morgan shift a bit uncomfortable, and the doctor pale considerably. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you lot haven't had to do anything distasteful."

"He's right," Rick said, "We've all done things. But Sam, that was it, you ever _,_ and I mean _ever_ do anything like that again—"

"You'll what? Toss me out like you tried to Carol? Or better yet, abandon me, _again_? Sorry Rick, but I actually don't take orders from you anymore. I'm not apart of your community, I was jus' trying to find out if you lot were alive."

"Then what? What was the plan after that?"

"Wait out the cold, then go to war again." Sam smiled and looked at Morgan. "Hell, since a few of my guys are down, I could do with some good shots."

"Don't bother," Rick snapped. "Morgan doesn't believe in killing."

"Ah, well then. Doc! You got a cane I could use? Something that'll help me move around." The doctor looked at Rick who nodded a bit hesitantly, and then she walked to a closet and produced a wooden cane. Sam took it and set his feet on the ground, favoring his uninjured right leg and then leaning on the cane. "There's still a bit of throbbing, but that's to be expected. Thanks for patching me up doc. Rick, where is she?"

* * *

Sam limped behind Rick dealing with strangers that looked at him just like the people of the Kingdom did when he first arrived, a wild animal that was out of its cage. Though that was his role, his Merles, even Daryl sometimes. The attack dogs that would fight for the group, not that he minded that role, it was rather fun at times.

"So, the others, who made it?" Sam asked quickly.

"Pretty much everyone, though, Noah got killed by Walkers a bit after we got here, and Carl lost his eye." Sam stopped Walking and looked over to Rick, his looking saying, _You've got to be shitting me_. "It was a hard night."

"Carol?"

"She's fine, doing better, but somethings off with her."

Sam scoffed. "She lost her daughter barely a year ago, something would be off with anyone."

"Paddy! Paddy Fucking Riley!"

Sam smiled and turned around. "Merle you redneck piece of shite!" The two men laughed and Merle walked over and they embraced each other tightly. "Still missing a hand?"

"Still getting shot at?"

"Course, life would be dull without it!"

Merle's hand brushed against the beard Sam had grown and he laughed. "Holy shit! I see you finally grew a beard, I just had to make sure it was real."

"Ha fucking ha. Jesus, good to see you're still kicking Merle!"

"You too Paddy! After you finish doing what you gotta, we need to catch up."

Sam smiled and shook Merles good hand. "Aye, I got a bit of a proposition for you and a few others."

"Sounds good. Have fun, Paddy."

"Fuck you." Sam turned to Rick and nodded, and so the group began moving again. "Good to see him. It's hard to believe that it's been a year."

"Yeah, it's been tough without you. There were a few times we could've used you."

"But you got through 'em. I wasn't here, and you lot got through it. Looks like you don't need me that bad."

Rick stopped Sam and looked the man in the eyes. "I'm sorry Sam. You were two days gone, I had to think about the group."

"And I get that. But no scouts, no search party? Tell me, would you have done that if it had been Carl?"

"Do you know how hard it was to do that Sam? How hard it was to leave you behind? Beth tried to attack me. She and Merle wanted to go out, the did, but I wouldn't let them because I couldn't risk them going off. I had to practically strap them into their cars. I'm sorry it happened Sam, but it happened."

"Which house is it?" Sam said, jaw clenched and his hand wrapped so tightly around the wooden handle of the cane he could swear he heard the wood crack.

Rick turned and pointed at the next house on the right. "Just up here."

* * *

 _May your dreams bring you peace in the darkness. May you always rise over the rain. May the light from above always lead you to love. May you stay in the arms of the angels_ ," Sam closed his eyes as he heard the gentle singing of the lullaby. Judith was getting older, being about two and a half years old by then, but Beth had kept the habit of singing a lullaby to the little girl. " _May you always be brave in the shadows. Till the sun shines upon you again. Hear this prayer in my heart. And will ne'er be apart. May you stay in the arms of the angels_."

He was careful to watch his step and had climbed the stairs sideways so that he could limit the use and noise of his cane. _Don't be nervous Sammy. You got this! You've killed packs of Walkers, scores of Saviors, you can do this_.

The door was slightly ajar, and Sam would catch glimpses of her as she passes back and forth rocking Judith gently as she went. His heart began to pick up, but not the nervousness that had gripped him a second ago. It was the anticipation, the excitement, and most importantly, that warm feeling that he was getting, one he had not felt since the Funeral Home.

" _May you always be brave in the shadows. Till the sun shines upon you again. Hear this prayer in my heart. And will ne'er be apart. May you stay in the arms of the angels_ ," He saw her lower Judith into the crib as she finished the lullaby. "Goodnight Judy."

Sam picked up his steps, ignoring the pain in his leg and pushed the door open softly. Beth turned and gasped when she saw him. Sam could feel a few tears picking up in his eyes and he smiled more brightly than he had in months. She was there, in front of him, corporeal and not a figment of his company starved mind.

She bum-rushed him, and brought him close wrapping both her arms around him and squeezing him tightly before burying her head in his chest. He brought his arms around her, he let his head fall to the top of hers and he breathed in her scent. She smelled like apples and vanilla, and he could hear her whispering something, but her voice was so low that he could only hear bits and pieces.

"Knew you were alive… happy you're back… a whole year…"

Sam got her out of the hug and lifted her chin up so that he could see her. Beth's eyes were red and puffy already, several tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Hey," he told her. "How are you?"

Beth laughed and wiped her eyes. "After all this time you ask, how am I?"

"Give me a break lass, I've never exactly been in this kind of situation before."

"Neither have, I," she smiled and a few tears let loose from her eyes.

"I know," he said. "Lass, I have missed you more than—"

She brought her mouth to his and began pushing him out of the room. Sam followed her lead until she broke the kiss and grabbed his hand, dragging him to one of the spare rooms in the house.

I~

Rory was left with a deck of cards that he had in his pocket. The new group seemed alright with him keeping them which was good seeing as the deck provided some much-needed alleviation from the boredom. They had locked him and the others in some sort of homemade cell. It was a bit tight between him, Damien and Prim but at least they were alive, and enjoying themselves thoroughly.

"Got any fives?" Damien asked as he very obviously tried to keep his eyes open.

"Go fish," Prim said. "I mean no one knows how to play poker?"

"Never learned," Rory said. "Eights?"

"Fuck you!" Damien seethed as he gave Rory three cards. "And my dad was a gambler before all this, never really wanted to learn how to get myself in as much debt as him."

"What about you? How come you don't know, Prim?" Rory asked her.

"Mom thought playing cards, booze, and pretty much everything under the sun was a sin. If I even wore perfume she would freak out." Prim rolled her eyes as she examined her cards. "Glad it was my dads weekend when everything went down. Rory, fives?"

"Go fish." There was a clang from the outer door and Rory stood up, his arm instinctively going for his gun, which wasn't there. The man that led the community walked in followed by a man with a knife attached to what seemed like a prosthetic arm. "Is Sam alright?"

"Paddy's fine," Knife-hand said. "Hell, he's probably more than fine right now."

"Merle." Rory looked for a name in his mind, but it escaped him. He had met the man earlier when Rory and the Asian man that had found them brought him into the Alexandria Safe-Zone, but the past twenty-four hours had made his mind forget the name. "You're Rory, right?"

"Yes," Rory said simply. Sam had tried to teach him how to speak in case he was captured, and as far as Rory knew he and the others were most definitely capture at the moment. The key was to be quick and to try and stick with one syllable words. "I am."

"So that settlement that got hit, that Library, that was where you three hung our hats?" The Leader asked.

"Yes," Rory said stiffly, the memories of the massacre still fresh. "It was."

"How'd that happen?"

"Traitor. Sold us out."

"Bastard," Damien spat on the ground.

"Got a lot of people killed," Prim agreed. "Our friends."

"How'd you three get away?" The Leader asked. "Couldn't have been easy, three people getting out during an attack, under fire."

Rory's eyes narrowed, but he bit his tongue at the not so subtle accusation. "It was hard. But we got out."

"How?" He pushed.

"Very carefully." _Three syllables, not good_. "They hit us, we hit back. We got out when our group died."

"They were in the front—"

"No," Rory snapped at Prim, "We don't owe this asshole anything, he wants to interrogate us, I want Sam here. If he doesn't, I still want Sam here."

"Like Merle said, Sam's a bit, preoccupied, right now."

"Doing what?" Prim spoke up.

Merle and the Leader shared a look. Merle smiled and looked at Prim. "He's uh, well he's probably fucking that girl he hasn't seen in a year."

Prim flushed red and took a step back while Merle laughed at her response and Rory looked to the ground. In the months that they and Sam had been fighting together, he hadn't given off the vibe that he was with anyone, or had previously been. It somehow didn't fit in with the cool and dangerous persona that he had given off.

"Oh, uh right. Do you, uh, do you know when he'll, when uh when they'll be—when they'll be done?" Merle began to laugh harder and even the Leader, whom Rory had yet to see smile, lips tilted upwards a smidge.

"Listen, I'm sure Sam's gonna be a bit, but he trusts you, the first thing he asked when he woke up was where you three were. So, I'm gonna let you out of there, get some fresh air, something to ear," he put his hand on his gun and got closer, the volume of his voice dropping. "But if you try to do anything, I'll kill you all myself."

Rory simply smiled at the man. "Are you and Sam related?"

And Merle's laughter increased, yet again.

* * *

Sam thrusted upwards into Beth enjoying the moaning that was brought on by it. Her hands gripped his shoulders and her nails began to drag lightly across his back. She brought her head out from the crook of his neck and Beth kissed him just as she felt her inner walls begin to clench and waves of pleasure flowed through her body. Sam, using what self-control he had, pulled out and released himself onto her stomach then fell beside her on the bed.

They laid like that for a few minutes, enjoying the sound of each other panting, being that close for the first time in more than a year. There hadn't been much privacy on the road, and Sam had closed himself off to, many of the group after Grady Memorial.

"Jaysus," Sam said. "I love you, lass."

Beth leaned over and kissed him softly. "I love you too. And I missed you a whole lot."

"I can tell. You hadn't even seen me for five minutes and you pounced on me. I feel used," Beth began to laugh and Sam kept his face as straight as he could. "I'm serious lass, I mean there I was prepared to have a meaningful conversation, and you just take advantage of me."

She slapped him lightly on the chest. "Stop it. Besides, I don't remember you fighting me too much on that."

"Fair enough." There was a sharp cry and then a wail as Judith woke up from her nap in the other room "And duty calls."

Beth got up and walked to the bathroom. He could hear her turn on the shower and quickly rinse herself off before returning to put on the clothes that they had scattered about the room.

Sam got out of the bed and began to put his clothes on, sneaking glances over at Beth as he did so. The past hour and a half had been, quite nice, a pleasant reminder that the world was still good sometimes.

"So, this place, it's yours?"

"No," Beth called from the other room. "Hey there Judy, come on. It's Ricks and Michonne's, but I live here to help with Judy. You, where are you living, out in the woods?"

"No, or well, yes and no. I'm part of a community called The Kingdom, stayed there for a few months, then I went out again, fought the Saviors." Sam buttoned his shirt and walked into the room where Beth was taking care of Judith. "I went back, but then I started looking for you lot again."

Beth kept rocking Judith but she seemed a bit nervous. "Are you, going to go back? Or are you going to stay here?"

"Honestly? I haven't really thought about it. I've been busy with other things. Looking, getting ambushed, my leg stitched up. Then there's the fun we had just now. My minds been a bit occupied."

"Right."

Sam walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "If I was to go, I'd be a lot happier if you came with me."

"I, I don't know. I mean there's Judy, and Maggie's pregnant, I couldn't just leave." Judith managed to calm down and so Beth set her back into the crib. "I don't know if I could go."

"Think about it. I need to leave one way or another. I need to tell the King what happened. Not to mention I need to get Rory and the others settled. Just, think about it, aye?"

Beth leaned forward and kissed him. "Aye."

"Want to go for a walk? I could use the air, plus my leg's been itching to be used for a bit."

"Sure, let me just get Judy dressed."

* * *

Rory!" The boy and his two friends were sitting outside the church on one of the many picnic tables that dotted the safe zone.

"Sam! Hey!" Rory dropped the cards he had in his hand and ran up to Sam, Damien and Prim railing behind him. "We were hoping to see you around! You're leg alright?"

"Aye, should be good to go in a week or so." Beth tugged his sleeve. "Right, Rory, Prim, Damien this is Beth."

The three seemed a bit nervous, and Prim was blushing a bit. But they all stuttered out hellos.

"You alright? Seem nervous."

"No, we're fine. It's just. Merle—"

"Don't say anything else. Let me guess, _Paddy's a bit preoccupied_?" Rory nodded. "Yeah, you get used to him."

"No, you don't," Beth muttered.

"Not important. Listen, we're leaving tomorrow, I'll be taking you to my community, I'll talk to Rick about getting me a car, so enjoy this while you can. Once we're back at the Kingdom it'll be a bit of a whirlwind for you, got it?" A chorus of yes sirs and then the three of them went back to playing whatever game it was, but it didn't look like poker or blackjack.

"So, you're leaving tomorrow?" Beth said.

"Aye. Kingdoms got doctors, they can take out the stitches. I need to let 'em know about the Library, get those three settled."

"You just got here."

"I know. My original plan was to stay for a week when I found you, but, the ambush, the Saviors changed everything." Beth sighed and shifted Judith on her arm.

"Is it far? The Kingdom?"

"Not really. Half a day if you hike it, a few hours if you're driving. There's still time for you to come with. Like I said, we don't leave until tomorrow. I know you take care of Judith, but someone else could do that, plus, it's always good for you to be around. Decent shot, good with first aid, invaluable."

* * *

"Paddy!" Merle ran up to Sam as he was leaving the house. "You done already? Man, I thought you would've had some more in ya'!"

"Funny Merle."

"I know. You said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Aye. I'm not staying, not indefinitely. I need to get back to the Kingdom and let Ezekiel what happened to the Library. But, when I leave, I want you there with me. You're a good fighter, and I trust you, I want you there with me when I go after the Saviors after Winter passes."

"Why wait 'till after winter?"

"Well I wanted to see if it's gonna snow this winter, if it does then we wait 'till it melts, if not, I'm giving my guys a break, then back to it. We're living in the woods, hit and run shite. You up for it?"

Merle nodded. "You got a base?"

"We move around a lot, never more than a night."

"You can't do that Paddy, your guys 'll get burned out, not to mention gas. How the fuck you do that before?"

"Hit the Saviors, take their shite. Say what you will about them, but they're well supplied."

"Point is Paddy, you need a base. Somewhere to hang your hat, and take a nap, recharge." Merle told him.

"I suppose. I'll need to talk to the King—"

"No, you're the one that's out there, you make decisions for your guys and your guys alone. Don't take orders your whole life Paddy. Because at the end of the day, it's down to the decisions you make for our men."

Sam smiled as an idea came into his mind. "You know what Merle, you are absolutely right. Do me a favor, tell Rick I need to talk to him."

* * *

Rick was looking over a map of the region that Alexandria sat in looking at the different areas marked where Saviors had been spotted. Rory had at least given him that seeing as Sam had told him to trust Rick.

"Rick, Paddy want to talk to you." Rick nodded and the man walked away only to come back with Sam in tow, not a minute later.

"Rick, listen, I wanted to know if I could give a talk to your people before I head out. I know you're getting ready for the Saviors, but I think my ways a bit more effective than sit and wait."

"You want to try and convince my people, to go with you and fight?"

"Fight a war that you're already in. You got dragged into it as soon as you hit that outpost, I'm simply offering your people a chance to not be sitting ducks, to take the fight to the Saviors. Plus, I lost seven men, eight if Allen didn't make it." Sam leaned forward and looked at the map. "Rory missed one here, Bellpine Creek, caught them replenishing their water. Look, I'm not asking to conscript, just to request some volunteers. If people want to come, let them, if not, then I won't force anyone. What'd be the harm?"

Rick ran names through his head as he tried to think of who would even go with Sam. Merle was a definite, maybe Abraham and Sasha, but other than those three, three of his best, most would most likely stay in Alexandria. But then again, Abraham was loyal, and Sasha wouldn't stray too far from him. So, in reality, all Rick would run the risk of losing would be Merle, a problem he was more than happy loosing.

"Alright, I'll get everyone in the church."

* * *

"Father!" Sam greeted as he hugged Father Gabriel. "Good to see you, sir. Are you alright?"

"I am," Gabriel said. "The journey has not been easy, but we keep moving."

"Aye Father, aye." Sam grinned and patted his shoulder. "Will you be staying for my announcement?"

"I shall, speaking of which," the doors to the church opened and people flooded in chatting amongst themselves and taking their seats quickly, "it seems you are to go on soon."

"Aye, seems I will." Sam walked to the corner of the church where Rory and the others were standing quietly. "Rory, Prim, Damien, I need you three with me, at the front."

"Yes sir," Rory said quickly following Sam as the man lead them to the front.

Rick had taken his place and had finished explaining who Sam was and how he knew him before giving Sam the floor. He peered out toward all of the faces, spotting Abraham, Daryl, Maggie and Glenn, then, finally, Carol. Her gaze seemed to pierce him, and he felt just so timid and small the way her eyes studied him. It was as if she was inspecting him, trying to find every flaw in his presentation.

He looked away from her and then took a quick breath.

"Hi there. Now, as Rick said, I'm Samuel Conall, and I'm here to ask you lot to fight with me. You all know about the Saviors, but you don't know what they can do. You took out an outpost, and that's impressive granted, but that was one outpost, in the dead of night. I've fought them in the day, in the rain, in the wind and in the open. I've killed them, and they've tried to kill me. The Saviors are killers, not much to it. Their leader is a man that is hellbent on dominating every settlement in his path. He rules through fear and violence, the tribute he demands is a tax we pay to keep breathing. I lost people recently, someone ratted out a settlement that was too weak to fight back, that couldn't defend itself, and I lost seven men and women. That was a settlement that had been loyal, granted for the most part, to Negan and his Saviors, what do you think they'll do to you lot? What do you think they'll do to you after wiping out an entire outpost of his men? Like I said, I'm here to ask you to fight with me, so that the war never reaches your doorstep, and your loved ones can sleep easy at night. I'm here to ask you to fight with me so that Alexandria doesn't get annexed by Negan and they take everything that you hold dear."

Several people looked at each other and a wave of hesitation and apprehension took hold of the crowd. Some wanted to fight but weren't sure if they should do so with Sam. He could see fear grip a few people as tears began to well up in their eyes as if the gravity of the situation had just gripped them.

Sam waited for someone to stand up. He could see others looking at the crowd wondering who would stand, waiting for someone else to make the first move, so they were sure that they wouldn't be in the situation by themselves. And they waited, and waited, and waited.

"Fuck it," a hoarse voice said from the back. "Might as well Paddy, plus, I owe ya' for leaving you behind."

Sam smiled and rolled his eyes. "Of course, Merle, we could always use a one-armed redneck like you."

"How about me?" Sam saw Rosita stand up.

"Welcome aboard."

"Me too." A man with curly hair and green eyes stood up despite the protest of a red-haired lanky looking fellow beside him.

"Course and your name is?"

"Aaron."

"Hell, might as well count me in. No amount of shit is gonna keep me from ripping off the nutsack of a man called Negan."

Sam grinned widely, "Welcome aboard Abraham."

* * *

At the end of it, he had gained fourteen people. Some seemed more fit for combat than others, but he knew what he was getting with three of the fighters he had picked up. And as Sam laid in bed that night, the woman he loved cuddled against him, he could only feel hope for what lied ahead.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, its late and I've barely any time to write since school started so here is the new chapter, not really sure how it came out, but I liked it so yeah gonna be taking my sleep deprived brain for it. Please leave a review and I will see you next time. ~Pacco1


	39. Back Home

Ch. 39

"If we take I-95 we should make it to the Kingdom without too much trouble. Probably just some Walkers, maybe Saviors, we need to assume they're watching the roads." Rory nodded and scanned the map trying to remember spots that were popular for the Saviors before looking back to Sam.

"I think we should be fine. They try to stay on this side of the 88. The shit that went down at the Library though, we should be careful either way."

"Right. Make sure the trucks are loaded, we're leaving in an hour." Rory nodded and went off to find the others. He couldn't help but feel a sort of giddiness about getting back on the road. Sure, it was horrible, and everyone almost always stunk, not to mention the food was terrible most of the time, but still, there was a sense of pride and camaraderie that came with traveling on the road. A type of, _I'm tough enough to do this_ , attitude, though sleeping in the trees sucked.

Alexandria's gate was full of cars that Rick had provided for the group, as well as a few supplies, mainly canned goods. There were four cars, all of which were being loaded. Prim and Damien were helping them load but as Rory got closer and they saw him, they made their way over.

"Where are we at?" Rory asked them.

"Almost ready, probably five minutes," Prim told him.

"Good, Sam wants to leave in an hour, give these people enough time to say goodbye." Rory looked at the group they had gotten and couldn't help but get a sense of familiarity. When he and the other Library residents had joined up with Sam they probably all looked just as frightened, more most likely. There wasn't a warrior in the bunch, but the new guys, they looked like they could kill. Or well, most of them did. Other's well they looked greener than Rory had been.

"You think we'll do good with these guys?" Damien asked.

"Hopefully. Saviors aren't fucking around anymore, but a couple of their guys," Prim eyes followed the man with a bayonet on his missing hand, Merle she thought his name was, "I wouldn't want to fight some of these guys I mean some of them are really scary."

"You said it. But hey, at least they're on our side." Rory patted her shoulder and then jogged off to check on the loading.

* * *

Sam walked into the house that Beth shared with Ricks family quietly. He eyed the steps and made for them quietly, but just as he was about to put his foot onto the first step Beth barged into the hallway above the stairs, a bag slung over her shoulder and a gun strapped to her belt.

"Beth?"

She looked down and smiled. "Good, you're here, I have another bag in my room, it's mainly medical that Rick let me take. I'm not sure if it'll last long but—"

"Beth," Sam interrupted, "you're coming?"

"Obviously."

"When'd you decide?"

"Last night, after the second time." She slogged down the stairs and brought herself in close to Sam. "I decided, that I missed having you around, so if I want to be with you then I actually need to be with you."

Sam kissed her lightly and smiled as he pulled back. "You got your piece?"

She tapped her hip and Sam could hear the metallic clanking of her gun. "Always. And before you ask, yes, I have my knife. Now come on, help me load this into the trucks. We'll need to say bye to everyone before we leave."

* * *

"What happened to your hair?" Sam asked as he saw the edge of bandages beneath Carl's out grown hair

"I decided to grow it out."

"Grow it out? Jaysus it's all coming from the top of your head and not your chin." Sam scratched his beard as he observed Carl's bare chin. "What's wrong with ya'? Last I saw your dad could grow a better beard than most."

"You can ask," Carl said bluntly. "About my eye."

Sam shrugged. "I didn't want to say anything."

"It's oaky, really. Someone shot me."

"I assume they're not with up anymore."

"No," Carl said, his voice bare. No empathy or malice. "He's dead."

"Good." Sam nodded. "I take it you're not joining my merry band?"

"I'd love to, but I can't leave Judith here. With Beth leaving we're gonna be shorthanded in the infirmary."

"What, tired that you can't shovel your sister off to someone else?"

"No! it's just that. Sam, you're taking our people." Carl said, watching as several men and women hugged their family's goodbye. "What happens if the Savior's find us and hit us?"

"You still got plenty of people, not to mention the literal assload of guns you lot have. I'm sure you'll be fine. 'sides, I'm only taking Merle, Abraham, Rosita, and about four others."

"You'll also be bringing me along for this mission," Sam jumped and his hand slid down to his holster. He had the gun halfway up by instinct when he saw that Eugene Porter, mullet and all, was standing behind, arms raised and terrified. "Before you continue to raise that firearm, I would just like to say that I am a friendly and it is most likely due to your —"

"Relax!" Sam said pistol holstered once more. "Reflex. I'm not used to being safe. Eugene, how are ya'?"

"Seeing as to how food is coming in, Walker attacks are down, and most importantly, you, a valuable ally, in the fight against the Saviors."

"Glad to see I can be of use."

"Noted," Eugene continued. "But you have also swayed me to join you and the others in this endeavor you have planned."

"Oh. And pray tell what use you could be to me in this endeavor? Last I remember you could only tell us that there was a cure when in reality all you were trying to do was save your own arse."

"I accept that. But what happens when you no longer have munitions to support yourself and your brigade of fighters and resupply with Alexandria or your home base is near impossible? I have the technical know-how as well as the—"

"Eugene."

"Yes?"

"Just say what you want to say."

"Well seeing as munitions tend to run low during a time of war, or at the least a time of aggression, I have decided to come forth and tell you of a place where I will be able to manufacture said munitions for you and your—"

"Shut up," Sam said rubbing his eyes. "Pack a bag, if you want to come, then come. But no free rides. Either you work or you fight."

* * *

The column sped down the road toward the Kingdom in a tight formation. Everyone kept an eye out, looking for movement in the trees but so far, the only thing that the group had come across had been a small group of Walkers that they had simply breezed by.

"Rory you seeing anything?" Sam spoke into a walkie as he pressed his foot a bit harder on the gas.

"No, we're all clear back here. If the Saviors are out here then they're not looking for a fight."

"Or they're setting up an ambush," Merle's voice said from behind Sam. "But you know, that's not any of my business."

"They may be organized but they're stupid Merle. Me and twenty people made their lives hell for a couple months. We went up and down the backroads hitting them, they never thought to set up an ambush for us." Sam said as avoided a decaying Walker corpse. "Why after all those months would they wizen up now?"

"Darwin would be the most logical thought. In the months you and your compatriots killed the Saviors the ones you killed were most likely the most incompetent or the most arrogant. Now that they're dead, the rest have wizened up and proceed to be more conscious."

"Eugene get off the radio," Sam said. "We're close, everyone stop and let me take the lead vehicle to the gates. If they see more than one they'll get spooked, might start firing."

"Copy," Rory said over the radio as his and the other two cars peeled to the side of the road. "Don't keep us waiting."

Sam pressed on the gas and the trees around became a blur. He could recognize some of the small abandoned buildings that sat on the outskirts of the Kingdom. The scouts most likely had eyes on Sam and the column by then. Sam saw the building of the walled town and began to slow the car down.

"I hope you guys are hungry because they're about to have a feast," Sam said as the gates appeared.

"Halt! Turn off the engine and slowly exit the car!" Sam recognized Richards voice from atop the wall. He turned off the car and opened the door.

"Richard That how you treat returning soldiers?" Sam shouted toward the wall.

"Sam? That you?"

"Aye! I have a few people waiting in the woods still. I just didn't want to bring 'em all here at once and spook all of you!"

"Password!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Icarus!"

"Call 'em in!"

Sam turned to the car and ducked his head in. "Beth, get on the Walkie please, tell 'em to come on over."

* * *

The gates of the Kingdom opened and Sam led his volunteers forward into the cheering masses of the Kingdoms citizenry.

"Sam you're back!"

"Who are they?"

"Samuel! You have returned to us!" The Kingdoms citizens parted and chatter died down as Ezekiel approached, a smile on his face. "And you have brought so many! Are these those you have sought for so long?"

Sam smiled and intertwined his hand with Beth's. "Aye, they are m'lord. I found them in a settlement a few hours from the Hilltop."

"'Tis a joyous occasion indeed! Those you have sought so close. Tonight, we shall celebrate this reunion! Come, citizens of the Kingdom, let us welcome these kind and brave people into our home!" The citizens cheered and began escorting Sam's group to the common areas. "Samuel, a word if I may?"

"Of course." He turned to Beth, "Ask someone to take you to my room. You can put your stuff there if you want. I'll try to find you after."

Beth nodded and hauled her things off looking for someone to help her find his room. Sam turned back to the King and nodded, then together they walked off to the theatre.

"How goes the outside?"

"Horrible. Saviors were tipped off that the Library helped me and my men out, wiped it out. Those three are the only survivors," Sam said pointing at Rory, Damien, and Prim, the three of whom were wandering around the Kingdom. Sam and the King arrived at the theatre and walked in, the door closing shut behind them as well as Jerry standing guard.

"And what of Allen?"

"Not sure. After we got ambushed we got separated. I was going to get a few guys and mount a search expedition." Sam sad as he and Ezekiel approached the throne. "Allen's resourceful, and he's not stupid. He's out there, I just need to find him."

"Good." Ezekiel took his place and Sam stopped a few steps from the throne. He held his hands behind his back and stood straight almost out of reflex. "Come now Samuel, there is no need for such formalities."

"Right, sorry. If I may sir, I have a suggestion for the next phase of the war."

"The Kingdom is not at war," Ezekiel said sternly.

"Apologies. But, nonetheless, I have an idea for the next phase of my _operations_ , if I may." Ezekiel nodded. "While out in the woods, it is not the easiest thing to survive. So, my compatriot Merle had an idea, which, I do believe could benefit my outfit. What if I were to take my soldiers and go off to form an outpost for the Kingdom. Similar to how Negan and his Saviors operate. I could use this base for supply, a war room, hell, it would even be a good thing to let the troops have a place to hang their hats every once in a while."

Ezekiel looked pensive and stroked his chin. Sam felt his hands become sweaty, trying to gauge what the King would say to his idea. From the basic gist of it, Sam would have guessed that Ezekiel would think he was trying to become independent from the Kingdom. It wasn't too far off from what Sam really wanted though.

In essence, Sam wanted to create an organized fighting group. The men and women of the Kingdom were good fighters, but the Saviors had training, experience, something that most of the Kingdomers lacked. Most of Alexandria lacked, save Rick and company. It was something that the Library had definitely lacked. Plus, Sam would need a base, every army needed somewhere to call home, even a Guerrilla army.

"This, base, where would it be located?" Ezekiel asked.

"A new recruit, Dr. Eugene Porter, he knows a place where we may be able to set up shop. And a place where we would be able to manufacture our own ammunition." Sam said, smiling. "The only thing I would ask of you is to supply us with the necessary equipment to grow our own food."

* * *

Rory marveled at the size and beauty of the Kingdom as he wandered around. He knew that Sam had come from a larger settlement, but something like the Kingdom. He could never have imagined something like that in a million years. Functioning farms, a school, infirmary, not to mention the fact that everyone ate and went to bed satisfied every day. It was no wonder he was fighting. And it was also no wonder that the Kingdom had showed up on the Saviors radar.

"I can't believe any of this is real," Prim said as she passed a pot of flowers. "They're growing these, not for food or for a medicine, but because they can. How the hell does anyone get to that kind of level?"

"Hard work probably," Rory said as he looked around to make sure no one was looking, and then promptly plucked one of the blue flowers. "For you."

Prim smiled and placed the flower behind her ear. "I still can't believe it. Months on the road fighting, and now here we are. How does that happen?"

"Luck? Fate? Skill? I don't know. I'm just glad we're still in one piece. I thought we were done for back at the Library." Rory said shuddering a bit as he remembered the shootout. "But we're here. And soon enough, we'll be back out there, fighting the good fight."

"Hopefully not too soon," Prim said. "I heard that they have cobbler with every meal here."

* * *

AN: Hey guys, so I'm back from a not so brief period away. School and other stuff is a bitch, but I manage. Good news, a book I've been writing is going to get published. I know this wasn't the best of updates, but just give me a little time to get back into the swing of things so I can update more regularly. Please review and I'll see you next time for a grand feast in the Kingdom! Review! ~Pacco1


	40. The Foundry

Ch. 40

"So, this is the place?" Sam said as he walked around the so-called bullet factory that Eugene had led him to.

"It is indeed. Though the machines will need extreme washing as well as the surrounding area needing to be cleared of Walkers. But it is an excellent position for our current forces." Eugene said.

Around the two of them members from Sam's outfit, currently at thirty volunteers including him and Eugene, went about the factory making sure that it was secure.

"The train tracks out back, is there a station nearby?" Sam asked.

"Affirmative. A couple of buildings down to the right is the train station."

Sam smiled as a few thoughts ran through his head. He walked to a window and stuck his head out, looking toward the train station. All of the buildings seemed connected and the area was only a two-way street with a single lane going either way.

"What are the buildings made of?" Sam asked.

"Brick."

"Abraham!" Sam ducked back inside and made his way over to the ginger. "Did we bring sledgehammers?"

Abraham turned toward Sam and the group he was commanding fell silent as they eyed the boy.

"I believe we did. Why?"

"This place is good and all, but it's a factory. Next door is apartments, and past that is a train station."

"So, what, you want to bash down the walls?" Abraham asked.

Sam motioned for the man to follow him to the window he had looked out of. "See this, open street with a lot of places for people to hide. Say the Saviors find us, or they follow us. We get under siege. We can't go outside and get supplies to the rest of the group in other buildings. So, we just knock down a few walls and make supplies accessible to everyone even during a siege. Plus, a bit more defendable."

Abraham nodded and then turned to two people that Sam had recruited in Alexandria and told them to go and fetch the sledgehammer.

Soon, Sam's base would be up and running.

* * *

"This the best map you could find?" Sam asked the crispy paper rolled onto a wooden table. He had converted a central room at the top of the stairs into a nerve center of sorts. A large round table sat in the center and the room was devoid of windows only meaning that the only light in the room, was provided by candles.

"The only map we could find," Rory said. "The rest were torn, burned, or crumbled when you touched them. I swear to God with the way shit's falling apart, you would think that it was a thousand years since civilization was intact."

"Yeah well didn't someone write that it would take ten days for society to collapse?" Ethan, one of Sam's former raiders, said.

"Yeah well tell that guy to fuck off. Took a lot less than that." Sam said as he took out a pen and began marking key locations on the map.

"To be fair he probably didn't expect the dead coming back to life," Rory said, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

Others took out pens and markers and soon began writing where different points of interest were. _The Kingdom_ , _Alexandria_ , _Hilltop_ , _Outpost's_ , soon they were all identified on the map and then, Sam's pen hovered over the location he had brought the men and women under his command.

"What's up?" Rory asked.

"Nothing, it's just—I have no idea what to name this place? I mean, Alexandria, The Kingdom, we need a good name for this place. Something for the history books that they'll write someday, you know?" Sam said his gaze never leaving the map.

"Better give it a good name then. its shit like this that goes in history books. And gentlemen, we are apart of history." Ethan said, finishing marking areas on his portion of the map and getting up. "I'm gonna go and help Abraham out in the armory. See ya'."

Sam stared at the man and his hand moved the Pen, deciding to name the outpost for what it was. His hand came back and saw _The Foundry_ scribbled in his messy handwriting.

smiling a bit he looked up to Rory. "Okay, I think we should take stock of everything we have. Bullets, guns, seeds for growing food. After we're all settled in we'll head out and scout around the area."

"Got it," Rory said. "I'll start organizing a watch."

"No, get Abraham to do it.." Sam said.

"I can do it just fine Sam."

"I'm sure you can, but Abraham was in the Army, he has more experience."

Rory rolled his eyes. "Look, Sam, I can help. Just give me a leadership role, I can do it."

"Just get Abraham for now. We don't need any surprises."

Rory scoffed and stormed out, leaving Sam alone in the room, looking down at the map. The Saviors had men, too many men to fight conventionally. Guerrilla tactics would only work for so long before Sam slipped up and Negan found him and his group.

Sam swore under his breath as he looked up from the map and began to pace.

Constants and variables would rule how the next few months would go. He would either win a war or go down swinging. It all hinged on the constants and variables or the next few months.

"Sam?" His head shot up and he saw Beth standing in the doorway.

"Beth, hey. How's the infirmary going?" Sam asked, stepping away from the table.

"As good as it can get. If we have room in the garden you're setting up, could we grow some herbs? Better we start so we don't get too reliant on the other groups."

"Of course. I'll let Prim know when I see her. So, doctor Greene, how's that feel?"

Beth scoffed and walked into the room shaking her head. "Yeah. I have no idea who told these people I was a doctor."

"From what I heard you performed a few surgeries in Alexandria."

"Minor stuff."

"You helped with Carl's eye," Sam said.

"Yeah, helped. I didn't do the majority of the surgery. I'm good with basic stuff, but I'm not my daddy."

Sam smiled. "I know. The lack of a beard gave that away."

She swatted his arm. "You know what I mean."

"Aye, I do. Look, we'll keep an eye out for any medical books or journals and the like. Get you trained up, then you'll train up others."

"I have no idea what I'm doing," she told him.

"Good, that makes two of us. If I'm being honest, I'm faking it so that people 'll think I know what I'm doing."

Beth wrapped her arms around him and pecked him on the lips. "You're doing fine."

She turned and walked out leaving Sam alone in the room once more.

"I hope so." He said quietly. "I really do."

* * *

So walk me through it Eugene," Sam said as he moved through Eugene's workshop. Buckets of bullet casings as well as scrap metal were scattered through the workshop. There seemed to be a laboratory of sorts in the corner that was taped off with a sign saying Eugene's Purposes Only.

"Here we'll sort the bullet casings between rifle as well as sidearm rounds, then put them in the appropriate caliber bins. From there we will fill the bullets with black powder, made by yours truly."

"Gunpowder? You can make it?" Sam asked him.

"Yes, sir. Black powder is made of seventy-five parts saltpeter finely ground, fifteen parts charcoals, and ten parts sulfur. All ingredients must be fine ground separately. I accomplished this with a hand-cranked flour mill. It can be dangerous so I will handle it personally."

"Good, just don't die. You need anything?"

"Always be on the lookout for sulfur, and saltpeter, drugstores contain them and I am sure people did not think to take them. Also, scrap metal will always be appreciated. Lead if you can, if not, iron will work."

"Alright," Sam smiled as he strode through the workshop. "Seeing this, well, it's the kinda thing that just, give me the tingles. We are gonna fuck those Saviors up.

* * *

AN: Okay short again, but this was to let you guys know that regular updates will be making a comeback. Also, what do you guys want to see? I'm curious, is there anything that you guys want to see that doesn't pertain to the main storyline, or a POV that you guys might want to see? Let me know, but until then I am going to bed. Review! ~Pacco1


	41. Surviving This Far

Ch. 41

Sam dreamt of the old world. Bustling city streets, his old home in Cork. The constant sound of cars and sirens passing by his apartment window. The smell of urine always crowding the subways, along with no personal space to speak of.

Before the end of the world, he had craved it, every last scrap of normalcy that the City of Cork brought. When the reports of Walkers first began appearing, Sam and his friends had ditched their class and gone into the countryside.

Sam and his friends had tried moving to Atlanta like so many others. Hoping to find refuge with the military and the remnants of the government. But roads filled with raiders, walkers, and dwindling supplies spelled doom for members of his group. So they turned to more, unorthodox methods of survival. But even that only worked for so long. Out of all of his friends he was the last.

Sam had once craved the city, the starless nights and never-ending sounds. But as the months passed, and he ended up by himself, he began to see the attraction of silence.

Silence was safety, it was stealth. Being quiet meant that there was nothing around him and that he could go about safely. Silence meant that Walkers weren't around, and neither were people.

But the dream had brought back an appreciation of the old ways of the world. A world that he knew would return eventually. But with the return of civilization, Sam knew that war would return, hell, it had already arrived for him.

The months on the road as well as the attack on the library had already proved that war was a harsh reality that many would face. His group was already in conflict. A conflict that Sam knew they would win. But how long would it just be them? How long before the Kingdom would finally jump in? How long until Alexandria went on the offensive?

For all Sam knew, they would be alone in the conflict until Negan was beaten. Sam smiled at the thought, even in his sleep. The victory of beating Negan going to his group and _only_ his. Sam at the head, and Rory, Merle, and Abraham as lieutenants.

Sam's dream began to morph. Gone was the city and the noise. Instead, it became _The Foundry_. Sam was heading a column of men, and Rory stood next to him. Everyone had rifles and were marching out into the world

* * *

"Sam, got excellent news to report," Eugene said as he barged into Sam's office.

"Knock next time," Sam said, not even looking up from the map he was hunched over. "I don't care if the enemies at the gates knock."

"Apologies. However, the news is exceedingly important." Sam rolled his eyes and motioned for Eugene to go on. "Bullet production is a go. We've started with the higher requested calibers of the .223/5.56 combo, as well as the larger 7.62 round. Currently, we are making one hundred bullets of each caliber."

Sam smiled and looked up from the map. "Eugene, that is excellent fucking news."

"However, there are concerns."

Sam's smile dropped. "Out with it."

"We need more supplies for gunpowder. Primarily sulfur. If you can get your hands on a proverbial fuckton of it, we can crank out as many bullets as it'll take to put Negan in the ground permanently. "

Sam moved away from the table and began to pace slowly. Sulfur was found in volcanoes, and as far as he knew there weren't any volcanoes in Maryland.

"Where can we find more sulfur?" Sam finally asked.

"Some drugstores might have it behind the counter. Springs very commonly have sulfur deposits. Old maps in Alexandria show that there are a handful of springs around the area from which Sulfur can be found. All we need to do is get people out there to gather it and we should have some Sulfur to make as many bullets you need."

Sam rubbed his eyes, knowing that going out and collecting sulfur was a time costly, but unfortunately, there was no alternative.

"You remember where it is?"

* * *

"Rory!" The man in question jumped from his workbench causing bullet casings to spill onto the floor the clinking brass rolling on the floor and spreading around people's feet.

"Shit, sorry!" Rory said as he knelt down and began collecting the casings.

"Rory!" Rory stopped and looked up seeing Sam standing above him with an eyebrow raised. "Pick up the casings and then come to my office, I need you for something."

Sam turned and walked away leaving Rory on the ground picking up casings one by one for fifteen minutes before he collected them all and made his way to Sam's office. Rory rapped his knuckles against the wooden door and hear a shuffling inside the room. He could hear Sam clear his throat and shout for Rory to enter.

The inside of the room was dark and the map that sat on Sam's desk was now hung on a wall. Some areas were marked in red pen while the known settlements and Savior outposts were marked in black.

"You needed to see me?"

"Yeah, Sam said, seated comfortably behind his desk. "You still want a shot at leadership?"

"Hell yeah," Rory stepped forward and smiled brightly. "Whatever you need, I'll do it."

"Good," Sam's lips formed a tight smile. "I need you to get a group together, fifteen people. Five of you will watch over the other ten. It's a work detail but, you'll be guarding people while they collect sulfur out of the ground."

"Sulfur?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "Yeah. Eugene needs it for gunpowder. No sulfur, no powder, no bullets."

"No fighting. Got it. I'll round up who I can."

"Good. Rory, don't get into it with any Saviors. Avoid them, we can't afford to fight 'em right now. We're just getting set up and organized. I've heard that Alexandria's got pressure from them. Watch out and be careful."

Rory nodded and made his way to the door his stomach soaring from the assignment. Eager for the chance to prove himself as a leader.

* * *

Shovels pounded into the ground and moved sulfur into wheelbarrows. Five volunteers from Alexandria worked tirelessly, making sure to haul as much Sulfur as they physically could. Rory had been sure to brief everyone on what they were doing. Explaining the need for the sulfur and what it would be used for.

Knowing that bullets would come of their labor seemed to inspire the group to work hard. Rory smiled at the eagerness of the working party as he turned back and watched the woods surrounding the hot spring.

He had set the guard party around the spring. Two were father out in the woods meant to alert the others should anyone show up, Walkers and Saviors alike. The rest were spread out around the spring hidden in the brush or behind the cars that had brought them to the spring.

Overall, Rory was confident that he and the group would be fine.

* * *

Sam sat on the roof of _The Foundry_ binoculars held up to his face as he scanned the area around him. Sam had decided to relive the watch for the night, deciding that he would take it. It had been a while since he had stood watch, it seemed best to remember what it was like. Sleep tugging at his eyes, the nervous tick in his body, reacting to every noise that jumped out from the area around him. It was therapeutic in a way.

"Sam?" He jumped and turned quickly toward the small hatch in the roof. Beth's head peaked out from it. "Can you help me up?"

"Course," she walked over to her and took her hand before hoisting her out of the hatch. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Abraham told me you were taking watch tonight. I thought I'd join you." Beth was wearing a satchel and set it to the ground before taking out a small bottle and two cans. "I took this from Daryl's bike before we left. Apparently, he found some of the stuff you like and kept a bottle. I took it before he could give it to you."

"Well then," Sam began, taking a seat on the ground, "I guess we could take a bit of a break. Besides, we haven't properly toasted our little reunion."

"I think we skipped that part."

" _You_ skipped that part."

"And _you_ didn't complain."

Sam shrugged as he opened the bottle, the oaky scent of the alcohol spreading across the roof. He took a small sip of the drink, smiling as the burning sensation transitioned into a warmth that spread through his body.

"That's good. Been a good while since I've had anything good." Sam handed Beth the bottle and stretched his body out on the gravel that covered the roof. "Who would've thought I'd of made it this far?"

"Who'd of thought any of us would have made it this far?" Beth said before taking a sip from the bottle.

"Fair point." Sam took the bottle and raised it in the air. "To surviving this far."

"And farther still."

They kissed gently, enjoying the closeness that the rooftop isolation brought them. Although they were alone, neither of them would let the one kiss escalate any farther. A rooftop was not a place to get that intimate. Though Sam. Knew that once his relief came to take over the watch, and he got to his quarters, neither he nor Beth would sleep very much.

* * *

"So these fucking raiders, we know where the fuck these pricks are yet?"

"No. our scouts have been around every backroad they know. Nothing so far, but they can't stay hidden for long.

"And this prick, the one that wiped out that outpost, we know where they're at?"

The men and women that sat around the table looked excited as they delivered at least some good news, the news of the location of the settlement. They began discussing strategies on how to root out the leadership from behind the walls without letting it. Become a bloody siege that would cost more lives that it would be worth.

 _Besides,_ Negan thought as he stroked Lucile, _people are a resource._

* * *

AN: Hey guys, new chapter, the next one is already in the works should be up relatively soon. some action should be coming your way. I really missed writing this so I'll be writing up some chapters really quick. Be on the lookout my friends. Review!~ Pacco1


	42. Negan

Ch. 42

The campfire had gone out a while ago. Only a few embers remained above a blanket of ash, as smoke wafted into the air.

Rory looked around the woods, his rifle sitting on his lap and the group he had taken with him above him in the trees sleeping. He kicked dirt onto the last reminding embers as he tried to gather his thoughts.

The past three days had gone relatively well. His small company of men collecting a decent amount of Sulfur for the bullet production. The only problem was that most of them were absolutely exhausted. Digging into the earth and pulling out sulfur was hard work. Rory felt bad for the work crew so he had kept them off of the night watch, giving that responsibility to himself as well as the other guards.

Rory had drawn the short straw "accidentally" meaning that he was first on watch. Rory hadn't wanted to do it though, but after traveling with Sam and seeing how he led, it made Rory think that what Sam did was what was meant to be done.

Rory felt his eye's tug and he looked at his watch. There was still ten minutes before the next shift was due. It was supposed to be only an hour watch, but Sam would always let Rory or whomever else was after he slept another thirty minutes. So, Rory rubbed his eyes, and watched the darkness.

* * *

"Maggie's sick, we don't know what's wrong so we're going to take her to the Hilltop," Glenn reported over the radio.

Sam responded by telling them he and Beth would meet them there before he ran out to grab his gear, yelling for someone to get Beth to the garage.

He grabbed his gun, vest, and sidearm before rushing down to the cars. Beth was already waiting as was Abraham but he did not have any gear. He stood next to Beth telling her that it would be alright and stopped when Sam made it up to them.

"I'm not going," Abraham said before Sam could even move his lips, "Someone needs to hold down the fort. I love Maggie, but I think she'd rather have her sister there then me. Besides you, two can handle yourselves just fine."

"Thank you. Make sure Eugene keeps up production and find something for Rory to do when he gets back! Also, when Merle gets back from his run, tell him where I went. If the Saviors are cutting off Rick and the rest of 'em, then war's coming." Sam and Beth climbed into the car and sped down the road as fast as they could.

* * *

"Sam come in!" Beth grabbed the radio.

"It's Beth what happened?"

"The Saviors are here. We might need you two to help us out."

"We're on our way to the Hilltop," Beth told him.

"We're on highway fifty-one. So far, they're been at two roads we need to get through. We need you guys, hopefully, we can throw them off."

"Doubt it," Sam muttered. "See where he wants us."

Beth asked Rick, and there was a pause before Rick told them to go a mile out from Junction Fifteen.

They drove quickly, and the inside of the car was deathly quiet. Beth stared at the road ahead with worry, yet there was a will of iron there. She had toughened up considerably since Sam had been left behind. Hell, had even started before that, at Grady. Ever since she had been forced to kill. Yeah, Sam was sure that Beth was tough as nails.

The light from the sky began to die out and Sam hoped that whatever remaining light would be enough to make it to the meeting place. With the Saviors out in what seemed like force, it wouldn't do for him and Beth to be caught alone. Granted, the Saviors didn't know who either Sam or Beth were, but being heavily armed and not well equipped would raise certain questions.

However, luck seemed to be with them as they had made it to the junction fine, Rick and company were waiting for them, thought they did have guns raised, only lowering them when Sam had gotten out of the car with his arms up.

"What's the plan?" Sam asked skipping the chit-chat.

"They're after the trailer. We're gonna put Maggie in your truck and hopefully, you guys can get by. Thy won't be looking for you, we'll try to go through the woods and meet you at the hilltop."

"And the trailer," Sam asked Rick.

"Our man, Aaron, is going to drive it around, keep them distracted."

Sam nodded and moved to open the backseat so that they could load Maggie into the car.

"Take care of her," Glenn said after Maggie had been loaded and secured into the backseat.

"Don't worry, I don't leave anyone behind," Sam remarked as he got into the car. "I'm dropping Maggie off and then coming back, radio me the location."

Sam drove off, watching the group he had once belonged to disappear in the rearview mirror. He didn't leave people behind. He would be back for them.

He just needed to get Maggie to the Hilltop first, get her to safety and then go back for the others.

Sam applied more pressure to the gas pedal navigating the backroad as well as he could. His eyes would glance around the trees looking for any movement that would indicate that the Saviors were watching him. So far there was nothing, he and the others were in the clear. He just had to keep it that way.

"You look good," Maggie said from the back. Her voice was a bit sluggish and Sam could see her leaning us slightly in the mirror.

"Yeah, well, we set up our base as quickly as we could. I needed to have everything ready for when we went back at it with the Saviors," Sam said.

"We almost have the gardens set up. Soon enough we'll be ready to plant."

"Not to mention the factory." Sam smiled. "Soon enough the Saviors are gonna be gone."

"What factory?" Maggie asked.

"Eugene's bullet factory. That's where we set up base."

"Oh." Maggie said softly.

"What?" Beth asked.

"Nothing." Maggie said a bit quickly. "I'm just worried."

"Don't worry. It's gonna be nothing," Beth tried to reassure her sister. "Trust me."

Sam pressed harder on the gas, the noise in the car getting louder as the engine worked harder. Sam tried to think of how the Saviors would try and get the car if they thought that it was a threat, or involved with Rick. The longer he lingered out the higher the chances of being found by the Saviors would be.

 _BEEP! BEEPBEEPBEEP!_

Sam froze at the noise. It was a horn, a car horn.

Headlight flashed behind him and a few shots were fired into the air.

"Fuck!" Sam screamed. "We aren't with Rick. We're just moving on from up north. Agreed?"

"Yeah.

"Yes."

"Shite," Sam said as he pulled over.

The car behind him stopped and several men exited, six of them, all armed with rifles, and to many for Sam and Beth to handle, especially with a sick Maggie in the back.

"All right, get out of the car, nice and slow!" A voice echoed out from behind them. "Come on Now. I'm sure the rest of your group is gonna be happy to see you!"

"Does that mean they have Rick?" Beth asked.

"I don't know. Look just stick with the story." Sam set his gun on the dashboard and opened the door. "I'm coming out. I'm unarmed."

"Slowly. On your knees, and your hands in the air." Sam did so. "Alright, now the others."

"Who are you?" Sam asked as Beth opened the door and got to her knees as well.

"Come on. You know who we are! We're Negan!"

"Who?"

"Come on, we saw you picking up the sick one. We know you're with that prick that hit our outpost. From Alexandria. What's his fucking name? Rick? It doesn't matter. Point is, you're coming with us."

Sam swore as he looked to the Saviors. He felt a pit growing in his stomach, as he knew he was screwed.

* * *

The whistling pierced Sam's ears as Rick and the others stumbled into the clearing. Sam looked down from where they had him kneeling. Beth had her arms around Maggie who had begun to cry when she had seen Glenn enter the clearing.

"Welcome to where you're going," the man that had captured Sam said as he drew a pistol. "We'll take your weapons."

"We can talk," Rick began.

"Nah. The time for talk is over. Now you listen."

Rick and the others were stripped of their weapons and were forced to the ground around Sam. Sam could see Rick sweating through his clothes and Sam felt so much sympathy for the man. He felt the same feeling of helplessness coursing through his body at the moment.

"Look scared," Sam whispered to Beth trying his best to keep his lips from moving. "They'll kill the defiant ones, look scared."

Beth nodded slightly and closed her eyes, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Well then, lets meet the man!" the lead Savior said as he walked to the trailer.

He knocked and soon the door opened revealing a man in a leather jacket, and wielding a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. He grinned broadly as his boots crunched against the dirt and he walked forward.

"Pissin' our pants yet?"

Sam closed his eyes and uttered a silent prayer. Negan didn't kill whole groups. He just wanted to send a message. One of his friends, and possibly him, was going to be that message.

"Boy, do I have a feelin' we're getting close. Yeah. Gonna be pee-pee pants city real soon." He walked in front of the semi-circle that the group had been forced into and smiled. "Which one of you pricks is the leader?"

No one answered, but the Savior that had Captured Sam stepped forward and pointed at Rick. "This one, right here. He's the guy."

The man stepped forward and smiled at Rick until he was so close that they were almost touching. "Hi. You're Rick, right? I'm Negan. And I do not appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people. Not cool. Not fucking cool. You have no fucking idea how not fucking cool that shit is, but I think you're gonna be up to speed shortly. Yeah, you are so gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes. Fuck yeah, you are."

Sam closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. He searched the ground for anything that he might be able to use as a weapon, but all there were was small rocks and twigs. They had searched everyone thoroughly. Guns, knives, even a small can opener that Sam kept on him, all of it was taken. He couldn't exactly run up and attack Negan.

"We invested a lot so you would know who I am and what I can do. You work for me now. You have shit, you fuckin' give it to me. That's your fuckin' job. Now, I know that is a fuckin' mighty big, nasty pill to swallow, but swallow it you most mother fuckin' will!" _The hell I will,_ Sam thought as Negan continued. "You ruled the roost. You built something. You thought you were safe. I get it. But the word is out. You are not safe. Not even fuckin' close. In fact, you are fucked, more fucked if you don't do what I want. And what I want is half your shit. And if that's too much, you can fuckin' make, find, or fuckin' steal more, and it'll even out sooner or later."

 _I'm gonna kill you and rip your whole group to the ground_.

Negan walked the circle stopping off to examine a few. He stood before Daryl for a minute, eyeing up the bowman who stared defiantly back. Negan then went to Carl, who also stared back defiantly while most of the others tried to look away.

He then stood in front of Maggie and stopped. "Jesus. You look shitty. I should just put you out of your misery right now," Negan raised the bat and Sam balled his hand into fists but Glenn beat him too it, scrambling toward Negan. Glenn, for any good that it did, managed to at least land one blow on Negan before he was tackled to the ground by several of Negan's men.

"Nope. Nope." Negan said rubbing his beard. "Get him back in line. All right, listen. Don't any of you do that again. I will shut that shit down, no exceptions. First one's free. It's an emotional moment, I get it."

Negan kept walking and Sam kept his eyes to the ground his eyes glancing over to Beth. He tried to control his breathing but the act that he had tried to keep up was becoming more and more real. If he was chosen to die then what would happen to the Foundry, to the war on the Saviors, to Beth?

Sam watched as Negan went about the semi-circle they were in and struggled to choose. He smiled and acted giddy as he looked over the group. No one would dare to look him in the eye, no one except Carl and Daryl that was.

Eventually, Negan resulted in playing Eenie meenie miney mo to try and decide who he would Kill. When Negan would be close Sam would look up, and see Lucile in his face before it would go off and sit in another one of his friend's faces'.

As Negan's little game came to an End Sam looked to Beth and then Negan. He looked to make sure that Negan wasn't even looking at her but instead his eye was trained on Glenn.

Negan smiled as he walked up to the man and declared him _IT_.

"I know I said it was a pass, but the lottery has chosen." Negan said as he talked over Maggie who was begging Negan not to do it. "Anybody moves, anybody says anything, cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father and then we'll start. You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry. Hell, you're all gonna be doing that."

Negan brought Lucile down and Glens head caved in popping out an eyeball and sent him to the floor. There was a spray of red mist that erupted and Negan hollered loudly.

"HA HA! Look at that! Fucking look at it. You still with us buddy?" Negan asked as Glenn tried to get up. His body was shaking so badly that any movement seemed to be a struggle for him. Sam swallowed through his constricted throat but forced himself to look at Glenn.

"Maggie… I'll, find you," Glenn managed to get out as blood fell from his head and mouth.

Negan brought down the Bat again and blood sprayed into the air as Glenn most likely dies from the second impact, seeing as he collapsed and was only twitching. Negan beat the body repeatedly with the bat, making sure that any resemblance to a head was not to be seen. Glenn's Neck was still somewhat intact, but the head was gone. Turned into a red mush that was spread out in front of his body.

"Whoo!" Negan said as he twirled his bat sending small amounts of blood into the air. "Ha! His fucking eye, just popped the fuck out of his skull!"

Maggie sobbed harder and Negan looked over at her before walking over and holding the Bat in front of her. "What? You Maggie? Were you two together? Ha, well ain't that a bitch. I mean, you people should not have fucked with me. If you didn't then none of this would have happened. But you all wanted to play games, to raid my _fucking_ outposts! And that fucking shit will not fucking slide! Look at Lucile, fucking look!"

Maggie brought her head up and looked at the bloody bat, still dripping and chunks of brain stuck between the barbed wire. Sam saw Daryl twitching out of the corner of his eye and remembered Negan's words. _The first ones free,_

Daryl moved toward Negan and Sam sprang out and tackled the bowman before he could reach and attack Negan.

"No!" Sam screamed as he tried to hold Daryl down. "Ones enough! Stop it!"

Daryl screamed and tried to shove Sam off, but Saviors came forward and held both of them down while Negan watched on, smiling.

"Wow. Two different kinds of people, am I right folks? Those that understand the rules, and those that fuckin' don't!" Negan went to Daryl first. One of the Saviors asked if Negan wanted Daryl dead, but Negan declined, saying that they had to try it once. And then he walked toward Sam. "Well then, who're you?"

"Sam. My names Sam."

"Well then, Sam, why'd you stop Daryl there?"

"You would've hurt someone else," Sam said quietly.

"Right. I did say it, what'd I say Sam?"

Sam closed his eyes took a shaky breath. "You said you would shut that shit down. No exceptions."

Negan laughed and stood up. "Exactly! Now I don't know about you guys, but if I were in your group, I'd be sucking Sam's dick after this! He just saved one of you pathetic Fuckers from dying! Some come on, say thank you!"

Negan waited holding his arms out but no one said anything. "Oh, come on! Say thank you! Say it, or he dies," Negan smiled and raised the bat slightly.

"Thank you!" Beth said quickly. "Thank you."

Slowly the others began to say thank you and Sam was still on the ground, Negan above him with Lucile raised in the air.

"Good, get him back in line," Negan ordered. The Saviors that had him pinned down grabbed Sam and shoved him back into the line, and then Negan went to talk to Rick.

* * *

As the Saviors left Maggie crawled to Glenn's body.

"Maggie," Beth said as she went to to her sister. "Maggie."

"You need to go. You need to get ready," Maggie said.

"For what?" Rick asked, his voice still shaking.

"To fight them!" Maggie said.

"No, they have an army. We'll lose. We'd all die."

"Sam! Sam, you fight then. Get the Kingdom, all of your fighters. Go!" Maggie said as sobs wracked her body.

"I will," Sam said. "Not yet though. We need to get you to the Hilltop first."

"I'll be fine. Go!"

Rick stepped forward and told Maggie that the group would help her. And together they lifted Glenn's body into the truck and get Maggie to the Hilltop. They loaded Glenn's body as carefully as they could, then Maggie, and finally they drove to the Hilltop.

* * *

"Rick," Sam said as the man exited the truck.

They had arrived back at Alexandria, Maggie was back at Hilltop with Sasha while Sam and the rest had come back to Alexandria. Sam and Beth wouldn't stay for long, they needed to get back to the Factory in order to plan a response. Sam had asked if Beth wanted to stay with Maggie, but Beth had said that she would stay with him to fight rather than hide.

"What Sam?" Rick asked, his face still pale and voice shaking.

"I wanted to talk to you about how we're gonna fight back."

"We're not," Rick said and then began walking away.

"What?"

"I told Maggie back there. We're not. They have too many men, we'll get slaughtered."

"I've been fighting them for months—"

"And haven't made a dent." Rick snarled at Sam. "We're not fighting."

"Fuck you Rick. That man killed one of your best friends, kidnapped another and almost made you cut off your own son's arm. And what, you're just gonna take it?"

"I don't have a choice."

"The fuck you don't. Fight with me!"

"No. No, we're not fighting. I won't do it."

Sam scoffed and looked at Rick as if he was a stranger. "So, you're gonna roll over? Just going to suck Negan's dick? No, Rick, we have to fight together. I can go to the Kingdom right now and get us all of their Knights. My people, yours, and the Kingdoms, with the right plan we can take out the Saviors completely."

"I won't risk it. I won't risk my son, my daughter, and I won't risk anyone else."

Sam could feel his anger filling his body at the complete fear and defeatism in a man that he had looked up to.

"Then stay here. Wallow in your fear. And when he kills someone else, when he hurts your people, and starves you, don't come to me. I'll take Negan on myself. I'll burn his outposts, murder his people, and take what's his. And then I won't give you and your people a damn thing. I thought better of you Rick. You fought the man, you struck first, and now, when he hit back, you're gonna cower away." Sam turned and made his way to the front Gate of Alexandria. "I'm taking one of your cars. When Negan comes and takes _his_ stuff, tell him I owe him a car, but I'll give him bullets as payment.

* * *

AN: I'm on vacation right now and I typed this up on the drive so sorry about the typos. I have WI-FI now so I posted it. it's late so I'm going to bed but please tell me what you thought. I did skip parts of Negan's little monologue, and Glenn is the only one that died. Mainly because it involves certain points involving Maggie, and that's all I'm going to say. Also, I did skip when Negan was going to make Rick cut off Carl's hand because, it's more Rick centered, and also I got a bit tired on the drive. Please, review and I'll see you guys next time! Review! ~Pacco1


	43. Ambushed

Ch. 43

"Glenn's dead." Abraham was floored by the statement. Simple and yet so heavy.

When Sam and Beth had returned he had ordered all of the fighting personnel of the foundry to meet in the warehouse where Eugene had been making the bullets. All fifty-five of the fighters had gathered, and Sam stood in front of them, taking in their confused and nervous gazes.

Merle and Beth stood beside Sam, as did a few of the men that had accompanied Sam when he had first begun attacking the Saviors.

"I've been planning for a while. Thinking on how to properly go about it. I fought them for a long while, and me and my guys did good. But then we needed help, so we brought all of you here. All of you that are tired of living like rats, that want to escape the squalor that the Saviors force on you, and that your leaders don't want to fight against." There were a few nods of agreement as well as confirming murmurs. Abraham glanced around the room nervously, fearful of what might happen. "They're weak. Most of your leaders are weak and don't want to take proper risks. In this world, that's all there is, risks. As a wise man once said, _Nowadays you breathe and you risk your life. You don't have a choice. The only thing you can choose is what you're risking it for._ And I've decided what I'm risking my life for. I'm risking my life so I won't ever have to live under the boot of a man like Negan. I'm risking my life so I can be free from the control of weak leaders, and I am risking my life, because in the face of a man like _Negan_ you can only fight and risk death, or live on your fucking knees, and I for one won't bloody do that!"

People began to shout out encouragement and Abraham found himself nodding along with Sam's speech.

"So, we're gonna fight, and we may very well bloody die, but we'll die on our feet rather than some of our leaders, servicing Negan and the rest of the Saviors. We'll fight because we aren't weak, or afraid. We'll fight because we fucking have to."

Cheers erupted from the crowd and Abraham smiled grimly. Sam told him how Rick refused to fight out of fear. But Sam was anything but afraid. The Saviors were in for a hell of a rude awakening.

* * *

"I want scouts to watch these roads and keep a record of the different people that they see coming and going from these roads. We'll have to get creative, the King sent a message back the other day, turns out they're not ready for war yet," Sam told Abraham, Merle, and Darrius, an original raider.

"We'll have to get creative," Darrius said. "Back in Afghanistan they used IED's, maybe we could rig a few together and take out some Saviors with them?"

"No," Abraham said. "Absolutely not. Sam, I lost more than a few friends to those fucking things, and there's no way I'm gonna let them be used."

"Come on Abraham it's war," Merle said.

"Shut up Merle. And calm down Abraham, we're not going to use them. It's too risky, we could hit Saviors, Kingdomers, hell maybe even some of our own people. We'll stick to ambushes, for now, _controlled_ detonations hit and run stuff."

Darrius grumbled under his breath but nodded. "We could hit the convoys that come from this outpost. Hell, maybe even take out the outpost completely" Darrius put his finger to a place that had been marked as _The Armory_. "It's the people that collect from the Kingdom. If we damage them we could finally get the Kingdom to support us, plus, there's some rumors."

"Oh?" Sam raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

"M2 Browning Heavy Machine Guns," Darrius said. Abraham whistled and Merle smiled.

"Oh, those'll come in handy," Merle said. "We could mount them on cars, use one to defend the base."

"You know if they keep any other weapons there?" Sam asked Darrius.

"From what I heard when I made drops it was mostly small arms, nothing too heavy besides the M2's."

"It'll sure make our lives easier," Sam said.

"We have a problem though," Merle said. "There's a whole lot of killing that needs to be done, which means we need a whole lot of bullets. We have plenty for now, but we need Eugene to get going on his bullet factory if we're gonna come out on top of all of this."

"Rory should be back soon. The spring he went to's out of radio range, but it should have enough sulfur for us. And with it, we'll have enough bullets to wipe out the Saviors."

* * *

The drive was longer than Rory would have liked. The two cars that he had taken with him were speeding down the highway. Rory kept his head down, observing the map, making sure that the convoy was going down the proper road.

There had been a fallen tree on the normal route so Rory had to take a longer one, but he was confident that he and the rest of his volunteers would get there safely.

"Rory," Damien said from the driver seat. "Got a quick question for you."

"Shoot."

"You think we have a chance?"

"I think so," Rory said, setting the map down. "I mean, with all the shit we're hauling we could make a shitload of bullets. We just need to—"

A burst of fire enveloped the front of the car and Rory felt his seatbelt hold him back as his body lurched forward. He saw glass shatter and closed his eyes just as the car began to flip.

Rory's ear began to ring and he felt the car thud and the rotten smell of sulfur rose into the air. The dulled noise, a side effect of his ringing ears, made it harder for Rory to distinguish what was happening. There were several pops and screams, Rory thought it was gunfire. He brought a hand to his face and wiped away a small amount of blood as well as a piece of glass that was cutting into his eyebrow.

"Rory," he could hear a faint voice calling his name. But it was muffled and distorted. "Rory, can you hear me?"

The ringing began to lessen and as Rory opened his eyes he saw that the windshield had shattered and a small fire was a lit in the engine block.

"Fuck!" Rory said as he reached for his seatbelt, but then he felt a sharp pain envelop his entire body. "Fuck!"

"Rory!" Rory looked to his right and saw Damien in his seat. "Rory, get out, the cars gonna blow."

"What about the others?' Rory looked behind him and saw that several of the backseats were empty while some had dead bodies. "Shit!"

"The other car's fine, they're fighting. Go!"

"What about you?"

Damien moved his hands and showed a large piece of glass piercing his gut. "I'm fucked. It's deep and I wouldn't even be able to make it five steps. Now fucking go!"

"No," Rory said.

"No time for heroics. I'm dead, now fucking go!" Rory hesitated, but with the smell of gas and sound of gunfire, he forced himself to unbuckle.

"I'm sorry," Rory said.

Damien smiled as he saw Rory unbuckle himself and begin climbing out of the car. "Rory! I'll see you in Valhalla!" Rory raised an eyebrow but smiled and scrambled out of the car. "I always wanted to say that."

Gunfire peppered the area around Rory as he ran to the car where the other survivors had regrouped and began returning fire. The car Rory had been in finally exploded and the smoke began to rise into the air as Rory stumbled into cover.

"Catch me up!" Rory said to the nearest person.

"Your car got him and we started taking fire from the left side of the road. We only have twelve of us left!" The man peeked his head out and began firing into the trees.

"I need a rifle, radio and a map!" Rory said. The men quickly handed him a map and radio, but unfortunately, all the rifles were begin used. Rory quickly scanned the map and tried to find the place where he and his men were.

He calculated the location trying to remember any road sign that he had seen before the ambush. He could remember Jackson Creek and, Bellpine, but those were the only signs he could remember, but he couldn't remember how far away they were.

"Shit! Pull into the trees, we need to get away from all the gunfire," one of the men said.

"Right, everyone, into the trees!" Rory said, picking up the map and shoving it into his pocket. "Use the smoke from the first car as cover! Get to the trees!"

The men scrambled and Rory felt blood falling down his face. He ran a hand down the side of his head and felt fresh blood and stinging.

"Shit. Stop!" Rory knelt down and looked at the foundry on the map as well as the circle that went thirty miles around the foundry itself.

"Are we in radio range?" A member, Jack, asked as he scanned the trees.

"Maybe," Rory turned the radio on and clicked the transmit button. "Hello! Foundry does anyone read me? This is Rory, come in!"

Static was their response as they listened. Rory looked back down to the map and where the edge of the circle stood. He saw small words on the map and managed to make one out, Bellpine. One of the last signs he had seen was Bellpine and it was just outside of the circle.

"Rory hold still," there was a click and Rory turned and saw Jack holding a knife over a lighter. "You're bleeding from your head and we don't have time for stitches."

"Fuck that," Rory said moving his hand from the radio to his bleeding head.

"Rory this is all we can do. If we don't you'll bleed too much and we won't be able to move.

Rory looked at the knife and then moved his hand to look at it. It was covered in blood and he could feel the soaked sleeve of his shirt from the oozing cut on his head.

"Fuck! Fine, but give me something to bite down on." They handed him a stick and quickly wrapped it in a rag. Rory laid on the ground and put the stick in his mouth, then nodded to Jack.

The steel hissed as it made contact with Rory's skin and the boy felt air rise out of his lungs and turn into screams as he tried to process the pain.

"I hear something!" there was a shout in the distance and the others tried to shut Rory up. But as the knife was pulled back seared skin stuck to the blade and the smell of smoked meat went into the air.

"Fuck," Rory screamed. The throbbing in his head rang out in his ears. But he had a job to do. He had to get his people out. "Fuck, give me the map, and the lighter."

The men did as instructed and Rory looked down examining the map. If they ran west they would eventually get into the range of the bases radios. They just had to get there.

Rory flicked the lighter open and held the map to it, letting it catch fire.

"Help me up, they'll be here soon. We need to go west, get in range of the radios" His men did so and Rory limped behind them watching the back of them, listening to the Saviors shout out to run into the woods and look for Rory and his group.

There was a snap and then Rory heard a crack and then a tree splintered next to him. More and more snaps came from the woods followed by cracks as bullets were fired into the woods and bullets implanted themselves into trees and the dirt around Rory and his group.

"Does anyone copy! This is Rory does anyone copy?" Rory screamed into his radio as he ran, the blood loss making his head swim. "Come on!"

"Shit!" Rory saw one of his men go down and then limped over to him fast as he could. The man had a bullet in his back and wasn't moving. Rory rolled him onto his back and saw that he was dead.

Rory cursed and grabbed the man's rifle, repeating what Damien had told him before he had before he forced him to leave the car. "See you in Valhalla."

More gunfire was sprayed into the woods and Rory repeated his call on the radio. He limped through and could feel his mind beginning to slip as his legs got heavier and heavier. His breathing got ragged and he fell to his knees. The crash and then cauterizing the wound on his face, coupled with blood loss spelled bad news for Rory.

"Help!" Rory screamed into the radio. "Help!"

More gunfire came from the forest and Rory began crawling forward his finger pressed down on the button transmitting everything as he moved forward.

"I'm not dying here," Rory began to chant. "Not dying here. Not dying here. Not dying here."

"Come on!" the footsteps of the Saviors were close now and Rory reached for the knife on his belt. Sam had always said that it was best to die fighting than begging or crying. "Over here!"

"Fuck. I won't die." Rory said as he tried to get to his feet, only to stumble and fall to the ground.

There was a rustling in the bushes behind him and Rory only had enough time to glance behind and see an armed man emerging before he turned around and tried to crawl faster.

"Well now," the man laughed before whistling the infamous long two noted Savior whistle. "Found one of 'em, boys!"

More men came out and Rory brought his knife under his body so they couldn't see it. He moved slowly still hoping not to stab himself as he crawled.

"Who's this? He hit?"

"Nah, I think he's one of the ones in the wreck. Yeah, we learned a thing or two from those months of you hitting us. Turns out the whole waiting for a target, boring as shit as it might be, is very fucking effective." Rory continued to crawl and hold his finger on the radio. "Where you think you're going? You're friends still out there? Or they leave you behind as bait?"

Rory continued crawling, and he could feel the annoyance of the Savior at the lack of reaction.

"Check him for any information," the Savior ordered. One of the men walked to Rory and grabbed him by the back and flipped him over.

Rory quickly thrust his arm out and stabbed the Savior and twisted the knife.

"Shit!" The lead Savior shouted as he raised his gun.

"Put it down!" Bodies rushed out of the trees and surrounded the Saviors, guns raised and fingers on the triggers.

Rory looked around and saw that his men had come to him. He smiled and laughed a bit in relief.

"Where you there the whole time?" Rory asked.

"We had to make sure this was all of them," Jack said. "What's the play, boss?"

Rory pulled his knife out of the Savior that had grabbed him and looked over to the Saviors. The man that stood front and center eyed Rory hostilely had dropped his gun with the rest of his men. Rory raised his knife and asked their leader what his name was.

"The names Justin shitbag."

Rory rolled his eyes. "Grab their guns. If Negan trusts this guy to run an ambush, they he must be worth something, right?"

* * *

Cars pulled into the neighborhood that Rory and his crew had taken cover in. The captured Saviors were handcuffed together and formed a long chain with their arms. There were fifteen in total. Rory smiled, he and eleven men had managed to capture a large force. Not much larger, granted, but larger. Still, it was mostly due to overconfidence and Rory being used as bait, without his knowledge.

Sam was the first one out of the car and made his way into the house. He smiled at seeing Rory alive, as well as most of his men, but then the smile slowly disappeared when he saw the Saviors.

"What the fuck is this?" Sam asked.

"We figured they could give us some info."

"What'd I say about prisoners?" Sam snapped.

"We can use them, Sam."

"Wait, I know you," one of the Saviors said looking at Sam. "You were with those people from Alexandria."

Sam glared at Rory as he looked at the Savior. "So what?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Sam smiled. "Fighting you. That's what we're all doing here. Bag their heads. Rory wants to play Warden. I'll let him, for now. The sulfur?"

"We lost half of it," Rory said. "I'll have Jack show you where the last of it is. We were ambushed on I-39. Our men's bodies are there too."

"We'll get 'em, bury them," Sam said softly. "As for the Saviors, like I said. We'll jail 'em for now, but you're in charge of them. If one of them steps out of line then _you're_ the one that kills them."

* * *

AN: Iknow it isn't the best but life has been a bit of a bitch to me lately. I was going to originally kill Rory, but then I decided against it since I have a bit of a plan for him after hashing out some details for later on. Sorry for taking so long by the way. School has been crazy and I haven't been super focused as of late. Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter, also! If the See you in Valhalla seemed a bit out of place, it's because I recently read a book about German pilots in WWII and I wanted to incorporate a pilot's last words into the story. Please review! ~Pacco1


	44. A Plan and a Trap

Ch. 44

"Damien's dead?" Prim asked in shock. Her lips trembled and she dashed forward engulfing Rory in a hug. "H—How?"

"We got hit," Rory said. After the library had been hit, all that was left of their people were Prim, Rory, and Damien. Now there were only two left. "If he moved then he was dead. He stayed in the car."

Prim sniffled and buried her head in Rory's shirt as he felt his throat tighten and tears well in his eyes.

* * *

"Sixty-six of us. That's how many of u are left," Sam said as he and his lieutenants met. "We'll need the Kingdom. They got used to our hit and runs."

"Ezekiel is gonna need a reason. He knows wars coming but he wants to avoid it. That's why he sent us to start hitting the Saviors," Darrius said.

"Just sending us to die so he can sweep up later," Merle scoffed. "Bullshit."

"Hey," Sam said, "He took me in, got me better. Show some respect."

"He sent you out to die. He gave you what, five guys?" Merle laughed. "No way you and the others would have made it if you hadn't recruited more."

"Shut up Merle," Abraham said.

"It's the truth. You think this King 'll care if Sam dies? He sent Sam out to die, to fight and make the war easier for him. Hell—"

"We're not talking about this!" Sam said, no room for argument left in his voice. "Focus on the task at hand."

"And what's that Paddy?" Merle asked.

"An attack. We're gonna hit the Saviors. For every man we lose, they lose five," Sam grinned darkly. "Only question is where?"

" _The Armory_ ," Darrius said immediately. "Those machine guns will help us. They gotta have a lot of ammo too."

"Security?" Sam asked.

"Over two dozen Saviors probably," Darrius said. "More than that?"

"It'd be a tough fight," Abraham said. "How'd we even it out?"

Sam thought for a second and glanced at the map, his eyes glancing between the _Kingdom_ and _The Armory_.

"How many men does Gavin usually take with him?" Sam asked Darrius

"Dozen or so," he replied.

Sam glanced at the road that was highlighted between the Kingdom and the outpost and then grinned.

"Abraham, we still got those suppressors?"

* * *

Rain poured over Sam, enveloping him in a wet cloak as he stared down at the road. A thin piece of cloth covered his mouth and nose, while a hood went over his face. He had never bothered with a disguise before seeing as he never faced anyone that the Kingdom came in contact with, therefore no danger being present if someone had seen and reported what he looked like. But now, as he and his men lined up on the sides of the highway, a large tree blocking the path, Sam felt a bit nervous.

Ezekiel had been kind to him, brought him in, fed and clothed him. In return Sam waged war for him, promising not to let it spill onto the King's doorstep. Now, he was risking that promise, all for the promise of some more weapons.

The Saviors pulled up and stopped shy of the giant log. There was yelling and swearing, but eventually, the group began chopping at the log. As they chopped Sam began to grow more and more nervous. If it went wrong then Ezekiel would be dragged into the war, The Saviors would siege the Kingdom, and Sam would be in deep shit.

As the Saviors finished clearing the log Sam whistled loudly, the five-note whistle he had made his groups trademark. _Do, Do, Do, Doooooo, Daaaaa!_

The Saviors shifted nervously and raised their gun.

"I knew it was a trap!" A long-haired Savior shouted as he raised his gun and scanned the woods. Sam whistled sharply and a round was sent into the man dropping his lifeless corpse to the ground.

"Put the guns down!" Sam shouted. "Put 'em down and we won't kill any more of you!"

Gavin strode forward and glanced around, his vision obscured by the rain and thick woods. "Why should we believe you?"

"You're still breathing," Sam shouted back. "Put the guns down Gavin."

He shifted uncomfortably and nodded. He looked at his men and told them to drop their rifles. Sam let out another sharp whistle and men came in from behind Gavin's group and grabbed the weapons while patting them down for any hidden firearms.

One of Sam's men gave a thumb up and Sam broke from cover and approached the Saviors.

"Right. You," he said pointing at a Savior, "you, you, and you. Hands out." They did so and were promptly cuffed and dragged off. "Right, the rest of you, yeah, are going to take me back to your base."

"Why would we do that?" Gavin asked.

"Merle," Sam said.

The one-armed man raised his pistol and fired a round into a Saviors hear. Gavin flinched and other Saviors backed up as blood began to leak from the man's head. "That's why. Now unless anyone else, wants to get a bullet to the head, I suggest you all start cooperating!"

Gavin nodded, staring at the body and glancing around at Sam's men. "Those four we took, that's our insurance that you all do what we say. We do this, and everything goes smooth, no one else has to die. You have your men at your outpost try and kill me, those four men die."

"What makes you think I'd care," Gavin asked his eyes shifting from the body on the ground to the four men that.

Sam smiled and walked toward Gavin, his face still concealed. "I'm betting that you'll let us in and keep your men from killing us because you care about your men. Don't you? I mean, ever since Merle shot that guy, you've been staring at him."

"Who are you?" Gavin asked.

"A killer," he smiled. "And you're gonna let me into your base, and let me walk out of there with whatever I want, or else my men and I, are going to wipe yours out."

Gavin stared at Sam and tried to weigh his options. His men were now kneeling with their hands placed on their heads.

"Clocks ticking," Sam smiled. "Tell me you answer, or I'll shoot more of your men."

Gavin turned to Sam and sighed.

* * *

AN: Okay! This is short and a cliffhanger! BUUUUUUTTTTTTT! I have important news! The reason I haven't been so active lately is because I've been editing a book I've been writing for six years and it is now avaliable on Amazon if you want to check it out! It is called _The Old World_ be me Edward Clyde! Please check it out! ~Pacco1


	45. Broken Glass, Ringing Ears

Ch. 45

"What the fuck!" a Savior growled as he hefted his rifle at Sam and the few men he had brought with him.

"Put those things down!" Gavin screamed. "They have our men hostage!"

"What the fuck Gavin!"

"Put those things down! He has our men and will execute them!"

"I got this," Sam said walking forward with all the confidence and swagger he could muster. "Listen here lads, I have your men with guns to their heads, if you want to see them again, then I need you to help me out."

"Gavin!"

"Fucking do it! You want them to die?"

"Negan 'll kill us if we help this bastard!"

"You're not helping me, you're trading with me," Sam smirked. "Your men, your friends, for those nice machine guns that you lot have. You know the ones that are fifty caliber."

Gavin stared at him men with a pleading look. From what Sam had heard he was never one to kill when convenient, in fact he had heard that the Kingdom had relatively little to no problems regarding violence when it came to Gavin, so the fact that he was willing to give up two heavy machine guns for his men with guns to their heads, did not surprise him too much.

"Negan will have our asses!"

"People are a resource," Gavin hissed at the men. "And those are my men he'll kill! Your friends!"

"Why don't we just take these guys hostage and get our men back that way?"

"You really think I would come here if I wasn't alright with dying?" It was a heavy bluff, but Sam needed to take the risk if he was going to leave alive and with what he wanted.

The Saviors looked conflicted and their rifles buckled a bit before they were lowered and soon at their sides.

"This is fucked, Gavin!"

"I know, but my first priority is to keep out people alive." Gavin took a step forward and motioned for Sam and the two four men he had brought to follow. The feeling of hostility that the Saviors radiated toward him was, uncomfortable to say the least. But Sam took it in stride and simply walked forward and kept his head straight.

The Saviors puffed out their chests and displayed their melee weapons, Sam had honestly never felt so out of place of so hated, but the men knew that if he or his boys were touched in anyway, their friends were dead. And Sam also knew that the same would most likely go to him if they even got the barest hints of a thought that he would reneg on his deal. And honestly, he still wasn't sure if he would let the Saviors go or not. They were horrible men, and so was he, but a man's word was sacred, and Sam had given his.

As Sam and the rest neared the storage closet where he assumed the guns were held Sam saw less and less of the Saviors besides a few that followed Gavin to the storage room. As Gavin pulled out a ring of keys and shifted them over he turned to Sam and spoke softly.

"You won't hurt any more of my men, will you?" He asked.

"Not unless they attack us. But when this is all over with, and the fighting picks up again, your men will be fair game," Sam said, a bit of a smirk tugging on his lips.

Gavin shook his head and turned to the door. "You remind me of him. Except for the humor."

"Remind you of who."

Gavin pulled to door open revealing a vast array of boxes and crates piled high to the ceiling.

"Negan," Gavin said moving inside. "The guns are over here. We never need them so we keep them stored just in case."

Two wooden crates stood centered toward the back with several large ammo cans stored neatly beside them. Sam cracked a smirk at the sight and motioned for him men to open the crates.

The wood lifted easily enough and Sam soon saw the two machine guns in all their glory. He shuddered a bit thinking about how they could have been used against him and his men but grinned knowing that they were safely in his hands. The Saviors would be hard pressed to fight him with those on his side.

"Good," Sam said as he went to the guns and ran his hand along the smooth black steel. "Very good. Boys lets grab these and load them up. Gavin, when were out of your hair, well leave your men where we picked you up."

Gavin nodded somberly and told his men to help carry the ammo. Sam simply felt relieved that Gavin cared so much for his men, and that Negan saw his people as a resource. But Sam was under no illusion that they could get the guns up and running before the Saviors began trying to follow them and reclaim their property.

Sam wasn't a fool. They would chase him and his men hard and fast once they left the compound. He felt a pit in his stomach as he began to doubt the plan, but he stayed the course, he was already too far into it, there was not turning back.

As he walked out of the compound, following his own men that were lugging the machine guns, he saw Saviors in cars and near motorcycles, seemingly ready to chase him and his men down.

"You'll give the order soon?" Gavin asked.

"Once I'm in the car and a good distance away."

Gavin nodded and glanced at his men and the car Sam would ride out in. "You know how this ends?"

"Vaguely," Sam said quietly.

"Right. Good luck then," Gavin held out his hand.

Sam took it and nodded. "To you as well."

Sam got into the car and looked to the other men with him. He glanced around him and took a steadying breath. He grasped his radio as the car started and began driving out of the compound, a few Savior bikes following.

"Okay boys, war faces," he said.

The men reached into the back of the car and pulled out rifles and handed them out to the other passengers. Sam took one and glanced behind him, seeing the Saviors keep a fair distance but watching closely. He grasped his radio and pressed down on the talk button.

"Merle, let 'em go. We got the guns and ammo."

"Roger Sam, we'll let 'em go. You need us anywhere?"

"White Stag Creek. We're on our way there. Once we pass just fire blindly into the path behind us. That should keep them off our tail." Sam saw the saviors begin to speed up as they got further from the compound. "Shit. Merle, these bastards are picking up. Once they hear that their men are safe there's gonna be shots."

Sam ordered one of his men to climb into the farthest back seat and take up position so he could pepper the riders with gunfire while the others kept their eyes on the flanks of the car hoping to catch any sight of Saviors trying to surprise them.

"Fucking drive as fast as you can, try to lose them."

"Got it," the driver said pressing his foot hard against the gas pedal.

"We can make it," Sam said glancing at the riders.

* * *

Merle cut the strings that bound their captives and threw them to the ground. His men kept their rifles trained on the men as he stepped back and looked then over

"Now you listen here. We're letting you live because the boss gave his word. So, we let you live. But you try and come after us, and get kill ya. Understood?"

The Saviors nodded quickly and Merle waved for his men to leave them.

"Alright boys, let's go, Sam needs us at White Stag," Merle and his boys mounted up and began their drive towards the creek where Sam would go through.

It was a heavily wooded creek with plenty of brush to cover Merle and his men. They knew Sam's car was a dirty silver SUV, so Merle ordered his men not to shoot at it. Only at any riders following.

"Uhh, Merle we got a problem!" Sans voice screamed through the radio.

"What?" Merle asked gruffly.

"They're shooting! Trying to get us!" Sam shouted. "Tell me you're at the creek!"

"Shit no Paddy we're close though," Merle checked the map in his lap and then looked to the landmarks seeing that if anything he and his men were a mile or two off which Merle quickly relayed.

"Shit! We'll be there soon! Be fucking ready!"

* * *

Sam ducked as bullets tore through the car windows and sprayed into the interior.

He aimed his rifle back and fired toward the bikes. The man he had stationed in the back had been shot and most likely killed as he hadn't moved or groaned from his positon.

The other three men were doing their best, the driver keeping the car steady and fast and the passengers shooting at the Saviors best they could.

Sam felt the bolt in his gun not rack another round signaling that his rifle needed to be reloaded. He ejected his empty magazine and slam a fresh one before sending the bolt home.

He pulled the trigger and tried to hit the Saviors, but they were simply more maneuverable on bikes and were able to weave in and out between the car and avoid bullets.

"How close?" Sam shouted as he fired off several rounds at the Saviors, missing all of them.

"A mile! Merle should be there!"

"Fucking right he should!" Sam got onto his radio and called out for Merle as more bullets began pelting the car and the pangs became louder and louder. "Merle tell me you're there!"

There was no response and Sam swore as they neared the creek. The bikes began lining up behind them and the riders began lining up their shots.

"Fucking hell!" Sam screamed as he ducked down. "Take cover."

The men did so as best they could and pistol rounds began penetrating inside the car. The rounds began tearing through the cloth of the seats sending yellow sponge into the air and Sa's ears began ringing as glass shattered and he felt a bullet graze his arm and saw blood spray onto the seat in front of him.

He began screaming but all he could feel was his mouth gaping as he screaming silently as his ears were ringing. The car came to a skidding stop and Sam's body was thrashed around the car. He could feel the car shake as the wheels skidded against the ground and the car drifted and rested, rocking gently.

Sam moved quickly, his instincts kicking in. he grasped his pistol and racked a round. His ears were still ringing and his vison was hazy. He could feel blood dripping from his left arm and winced as he looked down as saw the graze. It would without a doubt need stitching. He gazed around the car and saw the driver leaning against the wheel, a large hole in the back of his head, and the other passenger was gripping his arm which seemed to be riddled with bullets and was hanging limply by his side, useless and bloody. There were clear holes in the arm, shattered bone and pieces of flesh that were hanging onto the arm by a single tendon.

Sam banged his ears and found that he could only feel the simple thumps. He reached and grasped the door handle and pushed himself out of the car. Sam tumbled out of the vehicle and onto the dirt ground, the small grains of dust dragged across his skin and he groaned as he dragged himself across the dirt and looked around.

The sun was shining brightly and he squinted round him as he tried to get to his feet, only to stumble to the ground. Shadows began approaching him and Sam readied his gun and began slowly raising it, but his arm was shaky and the gun wavered in his hand as he tried to aim at the men in front of him. He was too slow and the gun was knocked from his hands and he was forced to the ground, his face brushed against the dirt and his arms pinned.

"Fuck!" Sam screamed only able to hear the barest hints of his voice as the ringing in his ears began to grow louder. "Fuck!"

"stay down," the voices were muffled and sounded distant, but Sam could barely pick up on what was being said.

Sam struggled and thrashed as wildly as he could on the ground but the men who were holding him down were strong and forced his body to the ground, trying to get Sam to tire himself out as much as he could.

"stop," Sam could hear the men shout faintly. "sam stop!"

As soon as he heard his name he stopped struggling and tried to glance behind him and stare at the men trough the bright sun nearly blinded him and kept them hidden from clear view.

But as Sam's eyes adjusted he began to see the faces of the men. Men from the foundry and Merle stood before him. Sam let out a sigh of relief and them dropped his head to the dirt in exhaustion.

"CHECK THE CAR!" Sam couldn't hear his own voice and the men shushed him and merle clamped his mouth shut.

"not so loud!" Merle said though Sam could barely hear him. "walkers, more saviors."

Sam nodded in understanding and tried to lower his voice as best he could. "Miller might still be alive. Jeffries and Joy are dead."

The men ran to the car and Merle helped Sam up and began leading him to the cars he and his men had brought. As Sam got into the car and sat in the seat he sighed and closed his eyes, pondering what had just happened. He saw the men pull Miller out and the man was still alive.

Sam sighed deeply. He had lost two men, one was wounded, but they had gotten the machine guns. And he didn't know if it was all worth it.

* * *

AN: Okay, been a tad bit but I've been busy! Shameless promotion, I published a book, its called The Old World by me Edward Clyde, check it out on Amazon! This series is gonna come back and the new Season, well I won't use too much from that Season, and well things are going to shift dramatically with the War about to kick off. And well I hope you guys are ready! Please Review! ~Pacco1


	46. The Beginning

Ch. 46

AN: Heyo everyone! Shameless self-plug, I wrote a book it's called _THE OLD WORLD_ by me Edward Clyde! Please check it out on amazon! It's awesome! Also! So, I know it's been a while but I'm back. I'm gearing into Fanfiction once again! I forgot how much I loved this! So, there's a little bit of everything in this chapter but I'm sure it's good! Well, let's get on with it then!

* * *

"Miller died last night. Went quietly. We buried him this morning," Merle said somberly as Sam laid in bed. Bandages covered his hands and shoulder, light tinges of red visible through the gaze. His ears still rang slightly but Merle assured him that it would go away, but Sam wasn't so sure. He looked to Merle and shook his head, a soft curse escaping his lips. He was the only one of the men that had gone into the Savior Outpost to get out. He rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily as he considered what to do.

"Are the machine guns mounted?" Sam asked, his hands still rubbing his eyes.

"One on the roof, another getting installed on one of the trucks," Darrius reported quickly.

"Good," Sam said. "Rory, how are your prisoners?"

"Behaving," Rory said softly. "I'm having them dig trenches under guard out behind the tracks. Figure if any Walkers come around, it'll keep them away for a bit, not to mention stop Negan's trucks from hitting us in the ass."

Sam nodded and sat up, his body sore and aching. "Good. Okay, any word from the Kingdom Darrius?"

"Yes," the dark man looked unsettled and took a step forward. "Maybe we should hold off until your wounds are a bit better."

"Tell me," Sam ordered, his voice steady and eyes focused on the man in front of him.

Darrius nodded slowly and glanced around the room. "The King told me that he can't join you at the moment. After our attack two weeks ago," Darrius paused and closed his eyes before continuing, "the Saviors are cracking down. They think we came from one of the three big settlements around here. Simon, Negan's number two, he's wiped out two of the smaller settlements as a message. Gone, right off the map."

"What happened to people are a resource?" Sam asked confused.

"No one knows. Some people think Simons gone rogue, some people say that Negan's just out for blood. But a lot of people are dying." Darrius said.

"But not in the Kingdom," Sam said thoughtfully. "Right?"

"Yeah," Darrius said. "As blood thirsty as they are, Simon knows that killing anyone from the Kingdom would mean war. And Ezekiel knows that while a lot of Saviors would go down, The Kingdom wouldn't survive."

"And Rick?" Sam turned to Merle.

"Negan took away their guns. All of 'em. But that Mexican chick, Rosita, she went to Hilltop and got one from there. Tried to Kill Negan, but they stopped her."

"What happened?" Sam asked sitting up and groan as he felt a rattling in his left shoulder, most likely a loose bullet fragment.

"She popped off a shot at his bat. Then another in his arm. They shot her full of lead after that." Merle said remorsefully. "She was good, but she missed the bastards head. He had three people killed for that."

"Fuck," Sam muttered.

"Yeah. I got there a day or two after that. Ricks gearing for war now. He went to Hilltop and got them on board." Merle said. "Rick said he'd be stopping here next."

"When's he coming?" Sam asked.

"Two days. Said he needed to gather up his people first."

"Speaking of people," Rory spoke up and walked forward. "We have new recruits."

"Sorry?" Sam asked an eyebrow raised as he heard Rory.

"Like Darrius said, the Saviors wiped a few small settlements off. But some people are like Prim and me. They made it out. We've been going up and down the backroads and finding people who're running from the Saviors. Most of 'em are ready for some payback."

"Good," Sam nodded and leaned back in his bed. "Okay, Merle, go and get Abraham, have him organize some runs for Weapons, make sure you're all loaded up in case Saviors try and ambush us again. Darius, start training up the new blood, if Rick's prepping for war, we need to have everyone ready. Rory, I need you to start organizing defenses. If the Saviors are on a warpath, then we need to be ready if they find us and try to hit us."

The three men nodded and moved to get to work filling out of the room and leaving Sam alone in the dark.

His brain was wracked with thoughts of what he could do and how things might go. If the Saviors were going about and killing then Negan wanted to not be seen as weak for the attempted assassination. But then, the words he had heard before wrung out in his head. " _People are a resource_." So that meant that Simon might have been acting rogue.

Sam was brought out of his musings when the door to his room opened and he saw Beth enter the room. He smiled and forgot about the sourness in his body as he sat up and felt his wounds ache. He leaned back into his bed and sighed as Beth approached.

"Hey," she said softly. "You feeling any better?"

"Aye, my shoulder's a bit lose but I'll be fine."

"Your ears?"

Sam shrugged. "A bit of ringing left over but it's okay."

She smiled and looked at the ground nervously. "Good. I'm glad. So, this war. Do you think we'll win?"

Sam reached out for her and grasped her hand gently. "I know it. With us taking the guns, we've made progress. But we still got some ways to go. But now Rick and Hilltop are joining. They have the manpower, we have Eugene's Bullet machine going round the clock, we can win. We just need to put pressure on Negan and hit him. Cut the head off the snake and the body dies."

Beth nodded and looked to be deep in thought.

"Sam, do you love me?" she asked suddenly.

"Of course, I do," Sam said instantly baffled by the question. "Where's this coming fr—"

"Let's get married," Beth said quickly.

"Sorry?" Sam said thinking he might have misheard her,

"Married. Sam, I love you, and we don't know how this is going to go, and I know it seems trivial to want to do this, but I want this and—"

"Beth," Sam said cutting her off, "I want to. I mean, I've wanted to for a while. When I was on my own, well, you were what kept me going…"

"But," Beth asked as he trailed off.

"But, with everything that's happening. Do you really want to be married while we're at war? With all the blood and the horror, do you really want to know?" He asked softly as he moved to the edge of the bed.

"Of course, Sam," she cupped his cheek and laughed softly, "As long as it's you."

Sam grasped her hand in his bandaged one and chuckled. "Aye. Well, I suppose we're to be married."

Beth beamed and leaned toward him, kissing him softly. "I suppose we are Sammy."

* * *

Sam hobbled through the halls of the Foundry receiving a sharp nod of respect from everyone he passed, and even an odd clumsy salute. He made it to their motor poole and sighed as he watched a group of cars approach. Abraham stood to his right and Merle to his left, Beth was there as well, her arm wrapped around his, Sam looked to her and smiled tightly before taking a steading breath and watched as the cars approached.

As the cars neared, Sam could see traces of familiar faces from behind the windshields as they approached. He straightened himself as much as he could. The cars pulled up in front of the Foundry and Rick exited the car, Sam could see his Revolver in the holster and smiled as he saw Daryl come around the other side of the car trailing after Rick, as was everyone else from Alexandria.

"Sam," Rick said, his face was grim, creases formed around the man's eyes, but there was a spark of something in his eyes. Rick glanced around the motor poole and grinned at the reinforced trucks, the mounted fifty cal, and the armed guards. "You look like you're ready for war."

"Yeah well, some of us haven't been cowering," Sam snapped, grinning. Maggie came out from behind a vehicle as did Sasha and Father Gabriel. "Father, good to see you."

"And you Sam, though I wish it wasn't under such circumstances."

"Agreed," Sam motioned for them to follow him. "Come on, we'll take in the war room."

Sam led them through the halls of the Foundry, catching snippets of their conversations. He could hear Abraham and Sasha catching up, Beth and Maggie speaking, though from their whispers it sounded quite intense. He showed them the machinery room where Eugene was hard at work, mixing chemical compounds together to make gunpowder which would be loaded into the bullets.

Eugene smiled at them and waved quickly before diving back into his work. News of Rosita's death had hit the man hard, and he had hardly left the machinery since he had learned of the girl's demise.

Eventually, they made it into the War room, it was a dark, windowless room with maps adorning all of the walls each one marked with key locations and Saviors positions, as well as known routes. A large wooden table stood in the center of the room though there were no chairs. The room was lit by several gas and oil lamps throughout the room, which lit the room well enough but with so many shadows, it would be a bit of a test to see everything.

"Right, so Rick, you're ready for war now?" Sam asked.

"Yes. We can't live under Negan—"

"You can't," Sam corrected. "I haven't been living under him. I've been fighting him. You're the one that was living under him. How is that by the way? I heard he took your guns."

"He did," Rick sighed out. "Look, we've got the Hilltops support, and with you and the Kingdom, we could take Negan out without a problem."

"Flattery will get you nowhere Rick. Besides, the Kingdoms hunkering down. The King doesn't want to fight yet. I don't blame him too much; he and the Saviors have an unsteady peace. He doesn't want to risk a fight unless it's a sure thing that we can win." Sam sighed and pointed to one of the maps along the wall. "The Saviors are getting to work, wiped two small settlements, cracking down. Have you noticed?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, the Saviors are demanding more, Negan gave us less time to gather up our next _tribute_ ," Rick practically spat the word and had a veil of shame drape over him. "We're gonna have to act fast, maybe hit the saviors when they come and collect."

"That's not a good plan," Sam said immediately. "When they collect from most settlements they go in force, they want to intimidate. Dealing with a force that big wouldn't work for us, it would just get us caught in a big firefight that would get a lot of our people killed."

"What do you suggest then?"

Sam sighed as he leaned over the table and glanced over the maps and notes that his scouts had taken and delivered. As his eyes drifted over and he read over some of the outpost names he smiled and looked up at Rick.

* * *

"So, tell me, why exactly did you take it upon yourself to wipe out two fucking settlements?" Negan leaned forward and held a hand to his ear as he waited for a response that he knew he wouldn't get. "What? No answer? No response? Why is that?"

Simon looked away from Negan and gritted his teeth as he tried to think of an answer. Though he knew why he had wiped out those settlements. The raiders, or resistance, or whatever it was that people called them were going around and killing their men. A whole group had simply vanished, no bodies or traces of them. The men were ghosts and killers out for Savior blood. Simon knew that they recruited from smaller settlements as they had recruited from the library. The fact that he had wiped out that settlement had made Negan angry, but he had forgiven him as Simon had been good recently and had only overstepped his orders by a bit. He was meant to kill ten of them at random, Simon had simply gotten overzealous.

But now, well now it was more than being overzealous, it was treachery, disobedience, insubordination. And that would not stand.

"I did not tell you to kill those bastards. Do you know what you've done? Things are already tense. Someone took a shot at me! Someone shot Lucille! And you think it's a great time to go out and burn a community to the ground?"

"A message needed to be sent!" Simon spoke up finally.

"It did. No fucking doubt about that. But that was the wrong message! We needed to show control! Strength but none of that dominating shit! What you did is fucking tell everyone that we're afraid, and if they think we're afraid," Negan swung Lucille down onto the metal table before him, the loud pang sending reverbs through the room and causing a few of the lieutenants to flinch. "If they think we're afraid, then they don't fear us anymore."

Negan sighed and shook his head as he gazed over the other lieutenants before him. "Fucking hell Simon. Now we gotta deal with this shit. All of you go back to your posts, be ready to mobilize. These shits have been quiet for a while, and trust me, they feel like the biggest dick in the locker room right now, and they'll want to show off soon enough."

As Negan watched the mean and women leave he glared at Simon and felt the hatred from the man he had considered one of his best. Simon had always been a complete animal, but now he was becoming something more intense. Bet Negan would need him, for now. After whatever was about to hit was over, he would have to kill the man.

* * *

Deep in the Foundry Beth organized the sorting and collecting of ammo with several others. It was tedious and mind-numbing work, but everyone had to do their part. She sighed absentmindedly as her thoughts went to Sam and the War. Everything was so tense, so final. It was as if things were already ending just as they were beginning.

"Beth," she looked up and saw Maggie entering the room. The others in the room could feel the tension between the two and they all quickly left, much to Beth's annoyance. She'd rather do anything than be with Maggie at the moment. "We need to talk."

"No," Beth said hefting a box of ammo and setting it near unloaded magazines for the next shift. "You made your point clear."

"Beth he's dangerous."

"Not to me," Beth rolled her eyes as the words left her lips and grabbed a clipboard, quickly marking what she needed to. She kept the clipboard up, however, choosing to study the words instead of looking at Maggie.

"I just think you're doing this too quickly." Maggie seethed.

"Like you and Glenn did?" Beth asked quietly.

"Glenn and I waited. We didn't rush into asking each other to marry each other. You're just being impulsive Beth, you don't know any—"

"Right you and Glenn waited for marriage, y'all just went straight into sex, right?" Beth asked a smirk forming on her lips. "wasn't the first run you two went on just a chance for the two of you to hook-up? Least Sam and I waited a few months to do that. And a few years for us to get married."

"Beth," Maggie said, her voice shaking slightly, "I just don't think Sam's right for you."

"You've made that clear. Ever since the farm, you didn't like him. Maggie, I love him. He loves me. And we're gonna get married, with or without your approval."

"What would daddy say," Maggie said, playing her last card.

"Far as I remember, daddy loved Sam. Told me as much." Beth moved away from Maggie and left the room. She had hopped when she told Maggie of her plans, she would be greeted by a joyous sister, but instead, she got the disapproving Maggie. It didn't matter though. She knew that she loved Sam and he wouldn't leave or hurt her. Despite what Maggie said.

* * *

Regina stood in her outpost command center gazing over the list of supplies that he chapter had. She seemed to have enough to last a while and smiled as she thought of the coming fights. It was on everyone's minds. The coming storm. It was enough to send shivers down her spine. It had been so long since they had dealt with a rebellious group. Sure, Rick's group had fought, but it had been a relatively short fight. Rick had killed a lot of Saviors, but then had come down on them hard, showing them that they could get them whenever they wanted.

Her excited musings were brought to an end when she heard a bell sounding and the rushing of the men and women under her command going about their business to prepare themselves. Regina growled and grabbed her own rifle, for she and everyone else knew what that bell sounded. Incoming enemies.

She ran through the halls of the outpost and come to the makeshift fortifications that the Saviors had been constructing. It was a basic wooden wall with battlements and sandbags, enough to give them high ground and cover.

Out in the darkness were men wrapped in black clothes some carrying torches, but all of them armed. The fire from the torches burned brightly in the night, the men's faces were obscured and she could see simple cloth masks hiding their identities.

"Stop!" Regina shouted raising her rifle. "Another step and we shoot asshole!"

The man all stopped except for one who walked a bit closer, his hands raised and his rifle hanging off of with a sling.

"Easy now!" the man shouted up, his voice surrounded forced and deep, "We don't want to fight. We're with you. We're Negan!"

Regina was taken aback by that and her Saviors looked around themselves.

"What the hell are you doing if you're Saviors?" Regina asked the question on her subordinate's minds.

"We're here to talk." was all the man said. "Simon sent us."

"Why?"

"Because of Negan. He's slipping. He doesn't know how to run things. Simon wants to take him down." Regina raised her rifle and took aim. "Easy now! Come on! With Negan in charge how many of us have been killed by those raiders? How many of us are getting shot at? Negan's done! Simon's the future!"

"Fuck you!" the man turned and ran before Regina opened fire and began sending lead downrange trying to kill the man. The rest of her line opened up and the men with torches dropped them and began scattering. Regina couldn't tell if their shots had hit anyone but she quickly reloaded and scanned the trees.

"You're gonna regret that!" the voice called out to her. "Simon'll win! And you'll be on the wrong side!"

* * *

"What are you doing?" Rory walked into the war room and saw Sam fiddling with a needle and thread. Some of his fingers were bloody and the band of cloth in his hands seemed to have loose strands of thread sticking out of it.

"We need something. It's been racking my brain for a while. When we're out there, how do we tell each other apart? I mean I knew your face, I knew Abrahams, Darrius', Merle's, Jacks, Marks, but in the head of the battle, how do I know who's my friend and who isn't?" Sam looked up from the band in his arm and set the needle and thread down. "We need something. A flag of sorts, so I made one."

He tossed the black armband to Rory and the boy caught it. Down in the palm of his hand was an orange square in the center of the black band, with a blue diamond containing a black spade in the center. Rory raised an eyebrow at the symbol and looked to Sam.

"What is it?"

"Our new flag. Our new uniform. I'm gonna start having people start making them tomorrow. We need to know who's our friend in a fight. That's how we do." Sam smiled and took the band from Rory and slid it up his right arm displaying it proudly.

"Looks good boss," Rory chuckled.

"Thanks." Sam laughed not removing the band. "We're going to war Rory. First steps are long gone. Are you ready for this?"

Rory stood up straight, his jaw tight and eyes determined. "I am Sam."

Sam smiled and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Good. Good Rory. Because we're gonna win. And there isn't a person alive I'd rather have then you by my side."

Rory swelled with pride and nodded at Sam's words.

Sam patted the boy's shoulder and motioned for them to leave. "Now go and find Prim. Tell her what matters to you. Because tomorrow the real work starts."

* * *

AN: Okay hope you liked it! Sorry for some mellow drama but I needed to sort of set somethings up. Also, the Symbol on Sam's armband is the new story picture. I made it using the battlefiled app, it was quite fun. Anywho, I am really excited to get this war into high gear and it's gonna be awesome! Hope you guys are ready! Please review and I'll see you next time! Review! ~Pacco1


	47. The Savior War

Ch. 47

AN: So these past two weeks have been shitty, my grandfather was in hospice and he died on Thursday. So I threw myself into this story and now everything's planned out and ready. I'm gonna start getting to work on more chapters and hopefully, I'll have more out soon. Also just a heads up for the rest of the story. So, I like Rick, I think he's an amazing character and a complete badass, but with the way this story is going, Rick won't be seen in the most favorable light. He's going to be a bit rash and somewhat shortsighted at times for perfectly, in my opinion, justified reasons. Anyway, that was my little informative spiel, now on with the story.

Six Years After the Savior War

Rain poured down from the sky the water gave the night the appearance of silver falling from the sky as the light of the moon reflected from within the fat drops of water. A rider rode slowly though the abandoned streets, his face protected from the rain by a long-brimmed hat and his body by a long coat wrapped around his shoulders. His horse's hooves clopped lightly against the ground and echoed over the sound of the rain drops colliding with the ground.

He rubbed his eyes and dug his spurs into his horse lightly ushering the great beast forward. The streets were how he remembered, but so much was different. The buildings he had once called home were now abandoned and rotting. His people forced to abandon them after he had left. But he was back, and he would find them, he would protect them again.

Present Day

Rick studied the map of the current known Savior positions and rubbed a hand through his beard as he tried to think of possible ways to fight the Saviors and their numbers. Sam had the good idea of pretending to be Simon's men and attacking a Savior outpost. With luck, it would take the Saviors some time to figure out exactly what was happening. Maybe Negan would kill one of his own lieutenants and a lot of Saviors would go down in the fight. Make their job easier.

Rick nodded at the thought and smiled as he envisioned a quick and brutal victory against Negan. His Saviors dead and Negan's head on a pike above Sanctuary. Rick felt a surge of anger fill his body as he thought of Negan. Even imagining the man dead brought on a wave of anger. Negan had killed Glenn. He had taken one of his longtime friends from him. So, he would take everything from Negan.

"Rick," he looked and saw Sam walking over to him. "Have your people found guns yet?"

Rick felt a twinge of anger direct itself at Sam. The boy had been fighting the Saviors for a while, yet he acted as if he was the only one in charge. Not to mention he never wasted an opportunity to remind people that he had bent the knee for Negan. Now he constantly antagonized him to have his people find weapons because Negan had disarmed him. Ricks' fist clenched as he thought of the light taunts and passive aggressive quips. Sure, they were on the same side, but Sam should have understood that Rick didn't have a choice when it came to being disarmed. Negan had more men and guns, had they rebelled then, it would have been a slaughter.

Rick let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. He would let it go for now. It wasn't the time to let small things get to him, there was a war to fight.

"Michonne and I are going to go on a run to find some guns soon. We just need to make sure that everything'll be alright here without us."

"Rick I've been running the foundry for a few months now," Sam laughed at Ricks comment and looked to the map scanning it.

"I know you've been running this place, but with what's coming, I think maybe you should let someone with more experience take over for a bit," Rick said, his voice fluctuating and going low towards the end. Sam stood up straight and raised an eyebrow at the words and crossed his arms,

"Someone with more experience?" Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What you think I can't lead this place?"

"I'm just saying Sam, you don't exactly know how to run an outpost."

"And you don't know how to fight a war," Sam shot back. "I mean you did bend over for Negan and let him take all your guns. Plus, you've never fought a war. I mean the Governor doesn't really count, he killed his own people, and we lost the prison when he attacked the second time. You know now that I think about it, you shouldn't be on our little war council since you've lost pretty much always lost."

"Don't," Rick hissed, his eyes now aflame with anger. He moved to Sam and the two men squared up on one another. They glared and Rick ground his teeth together as he glared at the young man. "I fought the Saviors before you got here. We wiped out one of their outposts, we killed them."

"And look where that got you!" Sam laughed humorously and shook his head. "Glenn's dead, you have no guns, Daryl got taken hostage and had to escape. So, what? You thought you could come to _my_ place, take _my_ guns, and order _me_ around? Rick, I'm not some kid that you can order around anymore. That kid died on the side of the road you left him on."

Rick scoffed and turned around shaking his head. He ran his hand along his beard and balled his fist in anger. "What would you have done. Huh? Low on gas, food, ammo, and everything else. What would you have done?"

Sam narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. "So that's how you justify it? Leaving me out there for months on end by myself. Letting me lose my fucking mind? Making me go back to that fucking animal I was? You left me, and when you were safe, you didn't even look for me! Yeah, Merle and Beth told me. They told me they went out as often as they could. But you, hell you could give a shit. Long as you're comfy in your house, with Michonne, fuck the world, right?"

Rick rushed forward and shoved Sam back into the wall behind him. Sam hit the stone wall and brushed himself off his grey eyes glaring at Rick.

"You don't know what happened. You don'tknow what we were going through."

"The fuck I don't!" Sam said his eyes wide and red, his voice grew hoarse and he stood before Rick, his fists clenched and shaking. "I lost you! I lost all of you! You said I was like a son, and you fucking left me! You didn't even look. You only call when you need something rick. So, I'll tell you what. I'll fight this war for you, and all I ask is you leave me the fuck alone."

Sam turned and stormed out of the room leaving an angry rick behind.

* * *

Night provided the perfect cover for travel. Thirty Foundry Soldiers marched on the dirt roads of Virginia. Their feet crunched against the dirt, leaving a low cloud of dust where they marched. They were quiet and their eyes were focused ahead as their thoughts wandered to the upcoming fight. Sam walked at the head of the column Merle to his left and Rory to his right, each of the fighters had their own armbands with their homemade patches stitched on the bands.

Sam's eyes glanced around the woods, the dark twisted trees watching the column as they made way. He had time to study every branch and every bend of the branches, his breathing was steady, but his pace was slow, the columns pace was slow. He shook his head and sighed in frustration. His people weren't used to marches like this. Cars would have been faster, but his people didn't have the resources to field that many cars, let alone have that big of a gas reserve. Marching would have to do, gas was reserved for missions to get bullet making supplies.

"How much farther?" Rory asked. They boys gun was being shifted around his arms, and he glanced around constantly, his eyes shifting all over the place.

"Shut up," Merle laughed, his gun slung over his shoulder and a bayonet attached to his prosthetic. "Stop complaining and just keep walking."

"We'll get there soon Rory. Perch shouldn't be too far now."

"You trust Rick to do his part?" Merle asked.

Sam shrugged and sighed as he thought back to their talk. "Maybe, I don't know. Rick seems like he just wants revenge. I'm scared that he can't think beyond anything past killing Negan. He's got tunnel vision you know?"

Merle chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, Officer Friendly seems hell-bent on getting revenge in Negan."

"And what do you want Merle?" Sam smiled at the man. "Why are you here?"

"I used to only have my brother. Me and him, just a couple of assholes going 'round causing all sorts of trouble. Then we found y'all, fought together, killed together, spent half a year on the road together. You helped me out of a tough spot, and here we are. You're as much a brother to me as Daryl is."

"You're old enough to be my dad Merle." Sam laughed at the end of the impromptu speech.

"How old are ya' anyway?" Rory asked, his curiosity always wondering the exact age of their leader.

"I'm bout twenty-one. I was seventeen when all this shite started," Sam said the beginning of the apocalypse feeling as if it had happened decades ago. "Crazy to think about it. Merle and I never of met, let alone get along, Rory would be some ass hat wrapping up high school—"

"And you'd be getting drunk in some bar and screwing around in Ireland," Merle said. "You'd never of met Blondie."

"True. Crazy how the apocalypse could bring some good." The three of them chuckled and tried to imagine what life would have been like had everything not gone to shit, but it was simply all generic. College, bars, nine to fives; or in Merle's case simply bars and being an asshole. And yet there they were. Marching and getting ready for a fight. Life was indeed crazy.

The three continued to laugh and let their minds drift away from reality for a brief second. They allowed themselves to be normal men instead of soldiers, survivors, and killers. But the sound of gunfire in the distance snapped then back into reality.

"What the fuck?" Sam said reaching for his radio and quickening his pace. He clicked the transmit button on his radio and stared out into the distance. "Rick, is that you? Did you engage?"

"Fucker wasn't supposed to engage until we were in position!" Rory said, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Might of got overzealous. Big dick contest with Paddy Riley," Merle said motioning for the column to go faster, his prosthetic waving in the air.

" _Sam, we're fighting the Saviors, we need you in position now!"_ Ricks' voice called out over the radio.

"what the fuck Rick? You were supposed to wait for us to be in position!" Sam roared into the radio as he began running.

" _Shit happens_ , "Ricks' voice growled back.

"The fuck it does!" Sam hooked the radio onto his belt and shook his head in anger. "Double time! We got a mile to the perch!"

The men and women of the foundry picked up their pace and were red faced and breathing very heavily half a mile into the run. Sam's forces were good at fighting, but they were used to hit and run attacks. Hitting the enemy quickly and then leaving. Waiting in a position for hours until the Saviors arrived and then attacking. Their stamina left much to be desired but they were still deadly.

The perch they were heading to was the top of a small hill overlooking a small Savior compound. The original plan was for Sam and his fighters to sit on the perch and signal Rick to attack. From there Rick would attack and Sam's forces would fire down at the Saviors that were in cover. It would have worked perfectly, had Rick not gotten too ambitious. Now Saviors were mixed in with Ricks men and Sam didn't want to risk shooting anyone on their side.

"What are we doing Paddy?" Merle asked as he glanced down at the fighting. The Savior Compound was an old gas station with wooden walls around it and a sniper's nest resting on the roof of the patio that covered the gas pumps. Ricks men were currently inside the walls, courtesy of a truck that had smashed the gates open. The men were fighting, some in minor fire fights and some in melee, using machetes, spears, knives, hammers, even their bare hands.

"We need to go in. Rick jumped the gun." Sam shook his head and looked back to his fighters. "Alright, fix bayonets! We're gonna go save their asses! Show 'em what real fighters can do!"

Despite their minor fatigue his men roared with agreement and were quick to fix their bayonets to their rifles. The long knives glowed brightly in the moonlights and seemed just as eager as the weapons wielders to go and shed Savior blood.

"Let's go!" Sam said fixing his bayonets to his rifle and charging down the hill to the fight. He could feel his heart racing and heard the sword at his side moving wildly with each step ready to be used in case of emergency. His fighters roared around him, their guns facing forward and their knives pointing toward the enemy.

They arrived at the battle and charged toward the fractured lines, the Saviors and Ricks forces intertwined. Ricks men had tied pieces of white cable around their arms, the Saviors had no such markings. Sam charged a man wielding a bloody hatchet standing over the body of a man with a white cable around his arm. His bayonet pierced the man's stomach and Sam was quick to pull out the blade and slash it downwards over the man's chest to his navel. The knife let out a long line of blood and as it reached the fleshy gut, intestines and internal organs slipped out and fell to the ground.

The man fell back and Sam moved and saw a woman firing from the window of the gas stations main building. She fired an AK and Sam saw several of his and Ricks men duck for cover and a few of them get hit. Sam raised his rifle and fired small bursts into the window watching as the woman took cover. He advanced quickly and was careful with his ammo count. As he reached the window he moved his gun into the window and aimed it downward and sprayed a few bullets into the room. As he pulled out his rifle and ejected the magazine and loaded a fresh one he saw the battle raging around him.

One of his soldiers fired his pistol into a Saviors' head, the bullet tearing through the bone and brain. The bullet exploded out the back of the Saviors skull and a burst of red poured out of the large exit wound that the bullet caused. Sam's fighter turned and ran to cover his pistol's slide open, the magazine empty.

Sam turned and saw another Foundry solder run her sword through another Savior. The shining steel coated red as it exited the man's back. The man's mouth opened in a horrendous scream of pain as droplets of blood dropped from his mouth.

Sam rose from his position and fired his weapon toward a group of Saviors taking cover behind a car whose frame was resting on cinder blocks. Sam oved to them through the chaos that thee disorganized battle brought on and quickly sprayed them with bullets before turning and looking for more Saviors.

The battle raged and the sun slowly began to rise. Bodies fell, blood pooled around the feet of those that survived, and soon Sam was walking amongst the dead, checking for survivors that were Saviors. Some of the bodies had begun to reanimate and were quickly put down.

Merle stood by a truck, blood completely covered his face. Mud and gunshot residue was caked onto his body. His prosthetic was still dripping red and his rifle was slung over his shoulder. There was a large gash on his left shoulder that was bandaged, the white gaze holding back the blood.

The truck he stood before was piled with some bodies. All of them bearing the Foundry patch on their shoulder. Sam sighed as he counted the bodies, his stomach dropping with every number he counted. He ran a hand through his blood matted hair and felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he reached the final number thirteen.

"Everyone else accounted for?" Sam asked, his throat tight and eyes closed.

"Yeah," Merle said quietly. He cleared his throat and shifted as he looked over the carnage that had engulfed the small outpost. "Rory's doing inventory of the Saviors shit. Said they had a small stock pile of ammo."

Sam nodded and turned to the building. "Good. Take this truck, get back to the Foundry, start proper burials. Rory and the rest of our guys will head back soon enough."

Merle nodded and moved to the driver seat, another Foundry soldier getting into the passenger seat. The car drove off, the bodies covered and protected from the hot Virginia sun.

Sam moved through the compound and searched the faces of those that had survived the battle. There was a man sitting on the ground, his eyes looking ahead into nothing, his hands shook and blood covered his hands. He seemed to be breathing rapidly and trying to blink tears from his red eyes. He shook his head and Sam could see the twitching of his lips and imagined that the man was trying to rationalize the carnage to himself, trying to justify his actions, hoping to find meaning in the blood.

Sam looked away and walked on, he walked over bodies and around men and women collecting guns, ammunition, and any other weapons they could scavenge from the Saviors. Rick seemed eager to get his hands on more guns than what Sam had loaned out to him. Sam ignored them as he walked into the gas stations building and saw Rory standing by a stack of crates and boxes with a clipboard.

Rory had cleaned himself of most of the blood as soon as he was able. His face was still smeared a bit with blood and his hands seemed to quiver every so often, the pencil in his hand making random scribbles on the paper in front of him.

"Rory," Sam said walking beside the boy. "What'd you find?"

"Ammo, food, some gas they were storing over there," the young boy motioned over to several oil drums nestled in the corner. "We uh—Rick's trying to take everything. I figured that we could split it fifty-fifty. Rick just walked away."

Sam clenched his jaw and looked outside for Rick and then back to Rory. "I'll talk to him. You know where he is?"

"Roof," Rory said his eyes never leaving the paper.

Sam moved his hand to the boy's shoulder and squeezed. "I get it, Rory. But this is war. We did this for months—"

"Not like this," Rory interjected. "When we did it, we were always in the trees. We didn't, stab them and watch the life leave them. We—we didn't have to cut 'em up so bad that we can't— we couldn't—"

Rory breathed in a shaky breath and Sam could see tears welling up in his eyes as he pressed the lead of the pencil against the paper so hard that Sam thought that the clipboard underneath would snap in half.

"I didn't think it would be like this," Rory finished.

"What did you think it would be like?" Sam asked. "Remember when they killed Damien? When they killed men under your command? Do you remember what it looked like? What did you feel? What we're going to do is that times a thousand. War isn't just hiding in the trees and ambushing Saviors. War is last night. War's killing a man so close that you feel the blood flow out of him, and then do it to another. We're at war Rory. This is what it is. And there's no changing that."

Sam left Rory with his words and went towards the roof access.

Sam moved to the roof, climbing up a ladder and taking a step onto the gravel that covered it. He saw Rick sitting at the edge of the building, overlooking the clean-up of the courtyard. Most of the bodies from their side had been loaded up. The wounded had been a priority, they had been evacuated as quickly as they could move them once the battle was over. The Foundry soldiers that had been killed were all gone, all that remained of the dead were the Alexandrians, which were being loaded, and the Saviors, which were being piled.

"Having fun?" Sam asked as he approached the man. Rick continued to face forward and look out at the bodies. "We lost people last night. More than I thought we would. Because of you. It was supposed to be simple. Get their attention, draw 'em out. Then we'd hit them from the hill. We had a vantage point, we could've taken 'em out quick, but you changed the plan. Why?"

Rick didn't move, and Sam stood behind him shaking with anger, for the first time since before the battle he felt tears well in his eyes. The drops of water felt hot, matching his anger and ready to fall.

"You got my men killed. You got your men killed. For what? Huh? Pride? Fucking, revenge? I know you're angry Rick, hell, everyone that's fighting the Saviors is. But at least they aren't fucking up, letting their rage get in the way of planning. Of executing the plan. Fucking hell rick, think next time. Or else I won't have you fighting with us when we take on Negan."

Rick shifted and moved to stand up. He turned and Sam saw the aged face of Rick grimes. The specks of grey in his beard and hair, the weariness in his eyes. But there was still energy in them yet, still strength in his features, still a commanding presence to his posture. Yet Sam didn't feel the need to shy away from the man anymore. He didn't feel the need to duck his head or avert his eyes. No, for the first time, Sam felt as if he was equal to Rick.

"I told you Sam shit happens. From where you had us, we were visible to them. They would have started firing any minute. I knew you weren't in position, so I had to improvise. You're the one that wasn't in place!"

"Fuck you, Rick," Sam roared at the man taking a step forward and glaring at the older man. "That was the point. You were supposed to take fire and draw them out of their hiding places, then we would hit them from the perch and take them out! You had plenty of cover and guns, but no you decided to knock on their front door with the semi. Sure, we were a bit late. But _you_ are the one that charged."

Sam turned and made his way to the ladder anger filling every part of his body, the urge to yell and punch Rick rising and threatening to override his senses.

Before he began descending the ladder he turned to rick for a final time. "Get your head screwed on right. If you don't then stay out of my way. Me and my men can handle this war fine without you idiots fucking up my plans."

* * *

Machine gun fire ripped through the building and ten men were dead with the first volley. Simon was quick to his feet, strapping on his gun belt and lacing his boots in record time. He moved through the satellite compound and made it to the observation post that had been built after Rick had attacked it.

"Who the fucks firing at us?" Simon shouted as he moved through his now awake men. The sky was pitch black and the red lights of the outpost shined brightly illuminating the road and area around the Outpost. As he reached the observation post he was met by the sight of trucks, men, and guns. Almost immediately his stomach dropped as he saw the leader.

"Hey there Simon! You forget about me?" Negan smiled and walked into the red light, Lucille in his hand and resting on his shoulder.

"Negan! What are you doing?" Simon demanded, his voice quacking in anger.

"You back slidded Simon. You tried to rise above your place." Negan said. "Now to all of you in there, that don't want to be on a sinking ship, I am more than happy to let you get off, so to all of you smart bastards in there that don't want to die! Come on out!"

Simon watched as men exited the satellite station, abandoning him for his supposed back sliding. Only three men stood beside him by the time all of his deserters were with Negan.

"What are you doing Negan? What the fucks going on?" Simon demanded.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me Simon. Regina told me all about your attack. I mean it makes sense. Raiders hitting us, men dropping like flies, and you think you can take my place." Negan smiled and twirled Lucille. "I mean, I get it! But you fucked up Simon. And now, well now ya' gotta fucking pay!"

"I didn't do shit!" Simon shouted at Negan. "My men and I, we never attacked anyone, especially not another outpost. Come one Negan! You know me!"

Negan nodded and pointed Lucille up to Simons observation post. "I do know you, Simon. Indeed, I do! Open fire!"

The bullets came so quickly that Simon didn't have time to duck. He was struck eight times, the bullets tearing through his body quickly and powerfully, that his body was thrown back and made a dent in the wall behind him. The last thing that he thought, was why the hell Negan thought he attacked Regina's outpost.

Two Weeks Later

"Bullshit!"

"Rory—"

"No Sam, you know that's bullshit. What this bastard is saying, he's fucking wrong!"

"Excuse me?" Rick asked glancing around the room, half amused that Rory was speaking up like that.

"Rory—"

"No Sam. That isn't right. What if the Walkers break through? There are kids in there!" Rory screamed. "What if they break through and some kid gets bit? What then Sam?"

"It's war," Sam said, his eyes looking toward the map and not looking to Rory.

"What if Negan did that here? With Beth here?" Rory snapped.

"Don't."

"Why not Sam? What is it only war when you do it to someone else?" Rory shook his head and looked around the war room. "We can't hit them like this. If we do then we're no better than the Saviors. Trap them in Sanctuary, starve them out until they surrender. What happens is they don't surrender?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Rick asked, scoffing at the notion.

"Would you?" Rory shot back. The young boy shook his head one final time and moved away from the table. "There's got to be a better way than starving them out like this. All this is gonna do it get innocent people killed and if that happens then how are we better than Negan?"

He stormed out and left the group there to digest his words.

"You need to reel him in," Rick said to Maggie's agreement.

"He's right though. We do this then it could lead to some innocent people getting hurt." Sam admitted hesitantly, though he wasn't completely bothered by the fact Saviors would die.

"You care?"

"You don't? Rick, what happens after the war? What happens when we beat Negan, what, we just leave the Saviors to their own devices? That's not gonna work. If we start killing innocent people, directly or indirectly, then we're fucked. They'll hate us more than they already will. It's not smart."

"It'll end the war. It'll let us kill Negan!" Maggie objected slamming her hands on the table.

"Sure, but it'll lead to rebellions in the future," Sam told them. "The English, they invaded the Irish and subjected them. Hurt them, beat them, humiliated us. They never tried to help the Irish, never tried to integrate us, instead, they treated us like shite and what happened? There was rebellion after rebellion. Do we want that with the Saviors?"

"Then we'll integrate them. We'll make them apart of the communities after we win." Maggie said hoping to resolve the issue.

"Yeah, after you may or may not have committed a war crime that'll build resentment," Sam told her.

"There aren't war crimes anymore!" Maggie screamed. "Sure, we can come up with some sort of charter, our own little Geneva Convention but only after we kill Negan! Before we do that, we go after him with everything we have, we beat him until he's dead and we win!"

Sam looked to Maggie and then to Rick who was quiet and seemed to be nodding along with Maggie.

"Really," he laughed. "That's how you want to start this out. Tell me, Maggie, would Glenn be okay with this? Would he be okay seeing you willing to let innocent people die just so you can get revenge?"

"Don't you dare," Maggie warned, her voice low and angry tears welling up.

"What? Don't I dare criticize you? Jesus, Maggie, how would Glenn feel, knowing you used his name to justify slaughter?"

"Enough!" Rick declared. "We're doing this plan. We have the majority vote."

"Two against one." Sam shook his head. "Fine. I guess I'll go and get another vote them."

* * *

"My King, I beg of you; Lord Samuel is certain of victory. If we were to meet with him and engage the Saviors then we would without a doubt crush them!" Darrius stood before the King and knelt before him as he pleaded with the King to mobilize. He had left the foundry and had taken up residency in the Kingdom before the war had officially started. He had spent the entire time trying to get the King to mobilize, to take the fight to the Saviors. But it had been to no avail.

"If what you tell me is true then Samuel and Alexandria are doing well against the Saviors—"

"Only due to their deception. The false mutiny that they instigated caused Negan to eliminate one of his commanders, divert resources and manpower. Now that they are aware their outposts are now back to full strength," Darrius explained to the King. "Please your majesty, it is imperative that we join with them. A new campaign is set to start soon and we could very well be with them and put an end to Negan's tyranny!"

Ezekiel was about to respond but Jerry bursted through the doors red and out of breath as if he had run from the front gates.

"My King! My King! Lord Samuel! He's here! He requests and audience!" the room went silent and Darrius looked to the King, who slowly rose from his throne. He ran a hand down the length of his clothes and adjusted his jacket before looking to Jerry and nodding. Jerry left and the King retook his place on the throne taking a calming breath and appearing as regal as ever.

The room was quite after Jerry left. No one spoke and no one attempted to move, afraid of disturbing the thick tension that was in the air. Sam hadn't informed anyone that he was coming to visit and Sam was anything but spontaneous.

The doors to the Throne Room opened and Sam entered. He wore a long brown coat and his sword was strapped to his belt, the sheath poking out from his coattails. His rifle was slung behind him and Darrius could see his gun holstered just underneath his left arm. As he neared the stage that the Throne rested on he kneeled and bowed his head.

"King Ezekiel. It's been too long since we've talked." Sam said as he rose up from his kneeling position and clasped his hands behind his back. "It is good to see you."

"And you as well Lord Samuel," Ezekiel said causing Sam's eyebrow to go up at the title Lord. "It was decided a fortnight after you had left and begun work on The Foundry. I deemed it so you were no mere Knight, but a Lord with your own men and Holdings."

Sam nodded at the assessment and inclined his head slightly. "I thank you, my King."

"Of course, Samuel. You have done a great many things for the Kingdom. You have fought and been hurt in the line of duty for the Kingdom. We are very grateful," the King spoke. "But if I may ask. Why are you here?"

"The war my King. The war with the Saviors. The Foundry calls for your aid." Sam said solemnly.

"From what Darrius has told me your campaign has gone well until recently you have brought heavy blows onto the Saviors, even caused confusion and disorder amongst their ranks."

"We have. But, we have joined forces with the Hilltop Colony as well as Alexandria to fight the Saviors, and there are some, disagreements as to how to proceed. As much as the Saviors disgust me and I wish to see them punished, what better men are we if we are to treat them just as they had treated us. My allies disagree. They wish to subjugate and eliminate the primary Savior leadership, as well as most of their officers. No matter the cost."

"And you are opposed to this?" Ezekiel asked leaning forward.

"I wasn't. But, I recently came to that decision, with the help of some of my friends as well as thinking on the history of the old world." Sam said, "Though the world has changed, the lessons of the past are still as valid as ever. I am here, King Ezekiel, to ask for your help. You are more moral, and wiser than any man I have ever met. So, I beg of you, King Ezekiel, please help me. Help me keep this war from turning into a massacre of the innocent."

* * *

The morning after Sam had left for the Kingdom, Beth woke up while the sky was still dark and the only light that filled the room was what she got from the candles in the hall that the night guards used while they patrolled the halls. Beth sat up slowly and felt her stomach flip as a wave of nausea hit her. She rose quickly from her bed and moved to the water basin near her bed. Her clammy hands grasped the side of the sink and she felt acidic bile rise up her throat and spill out of her mouth into the basin.

Her body quaked as she threw up and she felt lightheaded as her body expelled whatever it was that had caused her to be sick. As she finished expelling her stomach she took several deep breaths and gasped as she spit out the last of the vile taste from her mouth. She moved away from the basin and sat on her bed wiping her mouth and calming down from her bout of sickness. It had however become routine at this point. For the past week, she had been sick like this.

Beth rose from her bed and began her normal morning routine. By the time she was dressed and ready for the day the sun was beginning to crest the horizon and so she made her way to the mess hall where several of the non-combatants or, as Abraham had taken to calling them, support crew were busy cooking and preparing breakfast for the rest of the Foundry.

Beth walked into the mess hall and took her seat beside Merle who was talking animatedly with Abraham about some sort of event that had occurred to him while he was in the army. Beth had said good morning and received acknowledgments from the men before they went back to talking. Beth tried to keep up with the conversation but she felt more fatigued than normal and found herself almost dozing off more than once. She shook her head and tried to wake up properly, but her body simply seemed too tired.

"Alright here you go, served fresh!" a cook said as he and several other cooks walked around with trays of food dropping off plates where they were needed. "If you want to thank anyone for the eggs thank Prim over there! Her last scouting mission found some random ass abandoned homestead."

A round of cheers went up for Prim who blushed at the attention and raised her glass to the praise. Beth laughed a bit and rubber her eyes as a plate was put down in front of her. She smiled and took a whiff of the eggs, and then promptly blanched as a wave of nausea hit her as if the smell of the eggs seemed to attack her senses.

"Oh god!" she said as she rose and began to move away from the mess hall as the scent seemed to fill the room. She got away as quickly as she could, but the scent was still affecting her and she rushed into the bathroom feeling the need to vomit again. Her stomach, being empty, left her with the feeling of dry heaving and she stood over a toilet feeling her stomach twist as it tried to eject what wasn't there. There was a knock at the door and Beth jumped.

"Beth, you okay?" Maggie asked, her voice muffled through the door.

"Fine," she said, her breathing still heaving from the dry heaving. "I'm fine."

"Beth, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Beth lied. She had a suspicion. "I'm fine."

"Beth let me in."

She sighed and opened the door letting Maggie into the small bathroom. Her older sister gave her a look over and narrowed her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I said I'm fine Maggie."

"You're lying to me? Beth just tell me what's wrong!"

Beth rolled her eyes. Ever since Sam had come back into the picture, she had been very intrusive. Before Sam had arrived, Maggie had been in her own world, hardly a care in the world apart from Glenn but it was only when Sam had come back that she had remembered she was a sister.

"I'm fine Maggie," she tried to move out of the bathroom but Maggie cut her off.

"No, tell me what's wrong."

"Maggie—"

"Beth I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Well don't," Beth said, exhausted by the circles they had been talking in for the past few weeks ever since Maggie had come to the Foundry to help in the planning.

"Beth I'm just trying to look out for you. Now just tell me what's—"

"I think I'm pregnant," Beth blurted out, barely containing herself from screaming.

Maggie's eyes widened and she took a stop back colliding with the door. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came and she was standing there in a state of shock. S, of course, she knew that Beth and Sam were physical in their relationship, but for this to happen, well, she didn't think any older sister was ever ready to hear that her younger sister was pregnant.

"Are… um, are you sure?" Maggie asked when she had found her voice.

"No, but, I'm late. And I've been sick in the mornings for the last week. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure." Beth shifted her feet and looked down to the ground, her hand moving to her stomach.

"Right," Maggie said unsure of what to say exactly. "And… it's, uh, it's Sam's?'

"Maggie!"

"I'm sorry Beth I, it was a stupid question," Maggie screwed her eyes shut and took a breath. "I, I'm not sure what to say Beth."

"Don't say anything then. Look I know you hate Sam, but I love him. And when this damn war over we're having this baby together." Beth could tell that Maggie was biting her tongue, but she let it go, she had practically dropped a huge bomb on her sister. "Come on Maggie."

She pushed past the older girl and began going about her day, the thought of a child bringing a smile to her face, a small her and Sam. The image brought warmth to her soul, a peace in the times of war.

* * *

Sam arrived at the Foundry with a grin on his face, he moved through the motor pool and found a small crowd had gathered to see him and his companions arrive. The King grinned and trailed behind Sam, nodding at some of the former Kingdomers that had gone with Sam to fight the Saviors. Some of the Alexandrians fighters were confused as to who the King was, but they remained quiet and the crowd parted as the men walked through and made their way to the war room. The workers and Soldiers were soon back to work, Sam and the King moving quickly, eager to get the planning out of the way, eager to bring the war closer to an end.

Rick and Maggie stood over the table, talking in whispers and flinching when they turned and saw Sam. Rick stood up straight and tilted his head at the sight of the King.

"Sam, who's this?" Rick asked carefully.

"Rick, Maggie, I'd like to introduce you to Royalty." He said smiling. "This is King Ezekiel. The King of the Kingdom. And here's here to help."

Rick and Maggie looked to one another, unsure as to what to say. They had heard stories about the King, enough of the Soldiers traded stories, and Sam had spoken about the man, praising him for his generosity and strong moral compass, though he did say that it would impair his judgement at times.

Rick made the first move, walking forward and outstretching his hand. "Rick Grimes."

"A pleasure," the King said smiled as he grasped the man's hand. "Samuel has spoken very highly of you."

"Right," Rick said slowly releasing the Kings hand and backing away.

"Maggie Rhee," she said reaching her hand out as well.

"You must be Sam's beloveds' sister am I correct?" Maggie nodded stiffly and glanced uncertainly at Sam. "Well it is an honor to meet you as well. The both of you. Though I wish it were not under such, callous conditions."

The two nodded and moved around the table.

"We were just going over the plan to trap Negan in Sanctuary." Rick said motioning to a crudely drawn map.

"Samuel has told me of this plan," Ezekiel said stiffly.

"You don't like it?" Maggie said crossing her arms.

"It leaves much to be desired," Ezekiel said diplomatically.

Rick scoffed and turned away from the table. "You too huh? Look this is the only way to do this. Negan's in there, we trap him then hit his outposts then we force a surrender. The four of our groups together will force him to surrender."

"A man like Negan won't surrender Rick," Sam began. "He'd keep fighting until he can't. Even with your guy on the inside, there's no guarantee that he can get the workers to unite and take down the Saviors. A lot of innocent people could die."

"Since when have you cared about innocents dying?" Maggie blurted out. "We do this, we end the war, it's that simple Sam."

"It is," Ezekiel said quietly. "Trap them a few innocents might die, but the war would end, and the world would move on. But could we? Could you live with yourselves knowing that you sent innocents to their deaths, directly or indirectly?"

"This is war!" Maggie said slamming her hands on the table.

"It is, but even in war killing innocents is wrong." Ezekiel declared. "But what would we teach those to come if we ended the first major conflict of the New World with such bloodshed. This would cause us to become the very people we desire to eliminate."

"Why don't we put it to a vote?" Sam asked smugly.

"Fuck you," Maggie said rolling her eyes. "We're doing this plan; Rick and I are."

"Give us time to come up with a better one," Ezekiel said quickly placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. "If our plan doesn't satisfy you, then we will consider yours."

Maggie and Rick looked at one another and Rick shrugged a ghost of a smile on his face. Maggie clenched her jaw and breathed deeply exhaling the anger out of her body. She took in the words and then looked to Sam.

"Fine, Rick and I were talking and it should take a week or two for the herds we need to merge, let alone drag 'em out to near Sanctuary. But if you two don't then come up with a better plan by then, we do it our way." Maggie said taking charge of the room and then walking out.

Sam sighed in relief when she left and looked to Ezekiel and nodded thankfully. It wasn't much time, but two weeks would be plenty to come up with a plan.

* * *

AN: So this is the longest chapter I've ever written for this story. It was a lot if I'm being honest, but I figured you all deserved something for sticking with me. If you haven't check out my book on Amazon, _THE OLD WORLD_ written by me, Edward Clyde! Please review and I'll see you all next time! Review! ~Pacco1


	48. The Plan

Ch. 48

"Two weeks ain't a lot of time Paddy for much of anything let alone figuring out a way to stop the war. Far as I'm concerned we should just let Rick and Maggie have their way."

"That's not the point though," Sam said glancing around the table and sighing as he crossed his arms and tried to find words to explain his thoughts. Merle stood to his left, and Rory to his right, Ezekiel stood across from Sam, Morgan, and Jerry flanking him with Richard, one of Ezekiel's Knights as well as one very vocal at the prospect of war, and Abraham taking up the center between the two groups on either side. "Merle if this is how we conduct the first legitimate war, then how are we better than Negan?"

"Now you care about letting people live Paddy?" Merle asked.

"I could slaughter Saviors all day long and it wouldn't matter to me," Sam told him, his face a mask of indifference, "but innocents are where I start to have a problem. Look, I'm sure that most of you know about my past, what I did to stay alive when I was on my own, but this is a more civilized place, a less savage place."

"It's war," Richard said.

"That justifies letting a kid die?" Sam asked pointedly. "Guys look, I'm not saying we have to not kill any Saviors, I'm just saying that we only kill Saviors. Kill the people that actually hurt us, not the factory workers."

"Do we even have a plan to counter Maggie and Ricks?" Abraham asked.

"We're working on it, but we don't have anything solid," Sam admitted. "Look we have two weeks, keep brainstorming, well meet here every night before lights out. Good?" there were nods of approval and Sam gave them a reassuring nod before leaving.

* * *

"He's undermining us," Maggie growled out as she paced in front of a seated Rick.

"No, he isn't," Rick said calmly, "he's a leader like us. He's speaking out sure, but not undermining."

"Still, he brought the King here just so it would be a tie."

"Maggie, neither group can make a move without support from each other. We need Sam for bullets and experience, Kingdom for manpower—"

"And what we're the food baskets?" Maggie scoffed and moved to sit down next to Rick. She grasped his hand and began to speak, "Rick, think about this. We're giving them, food, we don't even know this King, what if he's like Negan?"

Rick scoffed and chuckled at that remark. "If this guy was like Negan then he wouldn't of taken Sam's side. He'd want us to go in and kill all the Saviors."

"But think about it Rick, Sam, the Kingdom, they have more guns than us, more ammo, and what do we have, some varmint rifles and six-shooters? Rick, what happens when all this is done for? What happens when we beat the Saviors and kill Negan? Do you think Sam's just gonna give up on this place? The Foundry, it's a factory, just like Sanctuary, they see themselves like Soldiers, just like the Saviors—"

"Maggie—"

"No Rick, you know it and so do I."

"Sam wouldn't do that. He's not Negan."

"How do you know that?" Maggie hissed at the man, her voice quivered, nervousness or fear sliding through and exposing themselves as she glanced from Rick to the closed door. "Rick, Sam was a robber, a murderer. Sure, he stopped, but he told you himself, when he was by himself he went back to that way. We don't know who this Sam is. We don't know who the King is, what he wants. What we do know is that he's been planning for war with Negan, sent Sam out to fight him to weaken him. Now what? For all we know the King wants to take over as Negan, putting on a front for everyone so we don't expect it."

Rick stood up and made for the door, his mind filled with Maggie's paranoia. "You're wrong, Sam, even with how he is, wouldn't do that. Not to us."

"Maybe not the Sam we had to leave out in the cold. Hell, I liked that Sam, he was good, he protected us, fought for us. I knew he loved my little sister, I knew that losing Sophia made him hurt more than anything he felt before then. But this Sam, the one that found us, that admitted to killing people so casually, this Sam scares me, Rick. He's a soldier, and he ain't under your command anymore Rick."

Rick shook his head at her words and moved out of the room, even though her sentences rang in his head.

* * *

Merle sat at a table amongst the regular soldiers of the foundry and laughed as they all played cards. Merle had a cigarette in his mouth and held his cards in his good hand glancing down at the cards he chuckled as he saw he had a straight.

"So, Merle, how long you known the General?" one of the new boys asked.

Merle raised an eyebrow at the title and set his cards down to pluck the cigarette from his lips. "The fuck you mean General? What you mean Paddy Reilly?"

The new guy nodded. And blushed as he looked down at his cards. Other soldiers didn't seem to find the comment too far out of question and Merle laughed quietly at their reactions.

"General, hahaha, well he's gonna love that," Merle put the cigarette in his mouth and took a long drag before putting it out. "Well, I've known Paddy since the beginning practically, take away a few months."

"What was he like?"

"Well, Edwards, right?" the boy nodded, his eyes wide and eager, the others seemed to be willing to listen, though the older men seemed to hide their enthusiasm better. "Paddy was, shit he was young back then. Sure, he was a dangerous bastard, but I could have taken him then. So could Rick. Easily you know. He wasn' afraid of a fight, never was as long I known him. But he was young. Baby face, like you Edwards. Soft, but that was 'cause he'd never seen real action. Just the chaos them early months brought, which compared to now, it was nothin'."

* * *

"Merle said that the General helped fight this guy called the Governor." Edwards spoke animatedly to a captivated audience in the barracks, explaining all he had heard from Merle about Sam's story to the others. "He took a bullet in the shoulder at seventeen—"

"No man Merle said it was a shotgun blast," Grady, another boy that was there, said grinning at the crowd that had gathered to hear the story.

* * *

"The General led them through all kinds of places after that prison fell. Turns out he and Beth managed to get out together with a little girl that Sam was taking care of, Sophia I think her name was." Roman Branson said as he and a few others worked in the motor pool, reinforcing a few SUV's with sheet metal. "From what I heard, all he had was a knife and an empty pistol when he escaped."

"No way that's true."

"I swear it is!' Roman said raising his right hand in promise. "I swear to god it is!"

* * *

"He survived for a year by himself—

"I heard it was six months."

"Nah man, out there time gets fuzzy. I guarantee you it was a year. Hell, it might have been more!"

The rumors and conversations of Sam's past circulated through the Foundry constantly on smoke breaks, before lights out, even before missions. Some true, some over exaggerated, but all of them spreading and growing a tale about Sam. Building a myth, a legend. The Soldiers began to set him apart with some of the other leaders, agreeing that they were honored to be serving under him and not Rick, or Maggie, or even the King. Sam was their leader, and they were more than happy about that.

Though the man himself was a bit reluctant to take on the title that they had begun calling him.

"Well hello there General," Merle said chuckling and giving a mock bow toward Sam as he walked into the War Room.

"Go fuck yourself Merle," Sam said, his eyes forward toward the others in the room.

"Do not fret Samuel, rarely does a leader choose his own moniker, though yours is most accurate," King Ezekiel said smiling supportively.

"Thank you, King Ezekiel," Sam said, forcing a smile, "though if we could get down to business?"

"Of course," The King said.

"Now, we gave you two weeks, it's been one. You two come up with anything?" Maggie asked stiffly.

"Yeah, we did actually," Sam said. "You see, before the war, the Saviors depended on you guys for everything. Food, water, ammo. Everything."

"Without our aid, the Saviors will become desperate. I'm sure that their supplies are low even now." the King continued. "Negan will have to rely on the outposts to keep him supplied."

"So what we siege the Outposts and starve Negan?"

"Yes and no," Sam continued, "Our plan is more, cloak and dagger, than a hail of bullets. You see, with this war, with everything happening, Negan's losing credibility. People dying, starving, all around suffering. With that in mind, people might see him as weak. So, we go out, make it look like we don't have too many men sieging the outposts, like we're stretched thin, and Negan'll have to leave Sanctuary to liberate the outposts."

"When that happens, a group will storm sanctuary and take it." Ezekiel finished. "With his capital taken, outposts surrounded, we'll force a surrender."

"Sounds too clinical," Rick said immediately. "A lot of things can go wrong."

"Outpost breaks siege, Negan doesn't go and help liberate," Maggie said shaking her head at the map. "Too much can go wrong."

"Which is why we use Rick," Sam said turning to face the former Sheriff. "From what I've seen and heard, Negan's taken an interest in you. It's something personal. If he knows you're gonna be there, then he'll come out to see to you personally. Plus, you think he's the kind to shy away from a gunfight?"

"Negan would have to go and fight, he can't be seen as weak. If he doesn't fight then there would be talk of replacing him, it would certainly lead to mutiny."

Rick remained silent and thought on the plan. Sam looked at him and felt a pit of nervousness build as he saw the man consider the plan. Sam had his own heart set on the plan, but if rick were to reject it, then there would most certainly be a fracture in their groups' alliance. One that none of them could afford. As tough and experienced as Sam's men were, Negan had numbers, so it would take the Hilltop, Alexandria, The Kingdom, and the Foundry to take him out. Without the four groups together, Negan's superior numbers would squash them. They could certainly try to use the Hit and Run tactics that Sam had utilized for so long, but the attack Rory had suffered had certainly had shown Sam that the hit and run days were numbered as Negan's men were certainly adaptable.

"How would we siege them?" Rick asked.

"Use the vehicles you were going to use for Sanctuary, use them to surround the outposts, then we use marksmen to keep the Saviors in their outposts while they get on the radio and call Negan for help."

"Once he leaves we'll storm Sanctuary with you man on the insides help. From there, Negan will go and try to liberate one of the outposts with a big force, we'll ambush them hard," Sam turned and looked over to Ezekiel.

"While the Kingdom did not wish to fight, that does not mean we did not have the means to. Negan while he has taken our food, has not taken our weapons," Ezekiel smiled smugly. "We have in our position in the Kingdom. Some rather, heavy explosives. Hand grenades, flashbangs, and for the exceptional rainy day, C-4."

"When we know where Negan's going, we prepare the mother of all ambushes," Sam smiled.

"And kill him," Maggie said, a smirk forming on her face as she began nodding along to the plan.

Sam gave Ezekiel an uneasy look, which the King returned, but Sam shook his head. They were united on a plan. There was no reason to divide now.

* * *

"Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness to grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men." Kneeling men and women had their heads bowed as Father Gabriel prayed for them. Sam was at the front, his knees in the dirt and his head bowed with his eyes closed.

Other men roamed behind them preparing vehicles and weapons for the coming battle. Ricks soldiers milled about, though some had kneeled for prayer. Hilltop fighters had joined as well, their soldiers finally deemed ready by Sasha and Maggie to join the fight. The Kingdomers, vigilant as ever, stood off and were practicing their swordsmanship. Overall, Sam was happy with the force they had. A hundred and fifty fighters were there. Each group had been assigned duties and were ready to carry them out.

Sam rose from his kneeling position and thanked the Father as he moved to his own men. Rory had stayed behind with a contingent of men to watch his prisoners and defend the Foundry. Merle, Darrius, and Abraham stood together talking and shooting the shit before the upcoming battles.

"Hey boys," Sam said moving to stand beside them.

"General," Abraham joked.

"Fuck you," Sam retorted rolling his eyes. "It's here. The big day."

"That it is Paddy. How you feeling? Nervous?" Merle asked.

"Somewhat. More anxious. I mean we've been in firefights, but large-scale battles like this? Fuck man, this is new to us. We've only hit that fucking gas station and look how that turned out."

"We won didn't we?"

"Yeah, but the plan got fucked."

"Plans never survive the first contact," Abraham said. "That's one of the first rules of the Army. You can plan and plan and plan, but as soon as the bullets start flying, the plan could get dicked."

Sam nodded and looked over the men, all eager to fight, all eager to take the fight to the Saviors. They would go in with all they had and win the day like the good soldiers that Sam knew they were. The plan just had to survive contact.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! Great to be here again! Next chapter should be pretty long and action-packed. Hope you're all ready for the twists and turns on the climax of the Savior War! As for how far I'll go along with the show, I'll probably end the story when I get to Ricks exit episode, so around that time period, maybe later, we'll have to see. Hope you all liked the chapter and I hope to see you next time! Review! ~Pacco1


	49. Laying Siege

Ch. 49

Sam walked calmly as he observed the area around him. The Armory outpost surrounded by the Kingdom and Foundrymen. The Saviors within boxed in by the metal reinforced trucks of the Kindomers and the Foundrymen. Sam felt a wave of relief fill him as he realized that trying to take the area would have been near impossible if the Saviors still had the fifty-caliber machine guns. But luckily, they were in Sam's possession. One mounted on the Foundry, and one supporting the current group he was leading.

"Paddy!" Merle called out running over to him with a radio. "It's Abraham!"

Sam took the radio and thanked the man. "Abraham, how is it there?"

" _We got the Plaza surrounded. They're peppering us with bullets but they aren't hitting us_." There was gunfire over the radio and Sam nodded at the transmission, satisfied with the progress they had made.

"Okay Abraham, good job. I'll check in with the scouts and gather up the reserves to figure out where to hit next." Sam handed the radio back to Merle and made his way to his car. "Merle while I'm gone, you're in charge, keep them organized and keep the pressure on the Saviors."

"You got it, Paddy. If you don't mind I'm gonna move some of my guys over and make a picket line on the south road. Keep any Saviors from sneaking up and fucking us in the ass."

Sam nodded and started the car. "Do it. But you don't let any saviors out unless it's for a surrender."

Sam sped away and felt the eagerness of war spreading through his body. The remaining Savior outposts were now surrounded and Negan would have to make his move soon enough. Sam thumped his fingers on the steering wheel as his mind pondered what would happen after the war. About the new life that would come about and the joy that would follow the post-war world that was soon to come.

Sam's radio sounded to life and screaming and gunfire blared through the speaker. Sam winced at the volume and moved to turn it down just as a voice spoke through the radio.

"IF anyone can hear this, this is the Hilltop Colony! Negan is here! He's got us under siege! We need help!" Sam's heart sank and he slammed on the breaks before picking up the radio.

"This is Conall, did you say Negan?" Sam asked.

"Roger! Negan's outside the gates he's hitting us with a fuckload of firepower! We need help!"

And just like that, the plan died.

* * *

As Sam pulled up to Ricks staging area he was met by a group of armed men blocking his way. He was quick getting out of the car and approaching them.

"Hey, where's Rick and Maggie?" The men remained silent and Sam caught the look of disdain that they shot at him. When they didn't answer Sam moved to brush past them but one of them reached out to stop Sam. They younger boy tossed the hand aside and shoved the guard only to have the other reach out and grab him. "Get the fuck off me!"

"Sam!" the small scuffle seemed to stop and Sam turned his head seeing Rick and Maggie approaching him. "What are you doing here?"

Sam got out of the guards hold and turned to face Rick and Maggie. "Didn't you guys hear?"

"What do you think we're doing? We're planning for an attack to liberate Hilltop." Maggie said.

"No that's suicide," Sam said. "Negan must have found out what we were planning. On the drive over, I found two of the outposts were wiped out. Maybe your inside man turned his cloak again. Or we got someone in our own ranks, but Negan hit our scouts and I guarantee you that he's gonna be waiting for you to show up. You'll need more men than what you've got here."

"So, we'll peel men off the sieges," Maggie said.

"We need them there! IF we move men then we weaken the siege's and open up opportunities for the Saviors to break them without Negan. From there they go and help Negan when you try to break Hilltops encirclement. I don't know how many we'll lose there, but we can't fucking afford it. We need to be smart here, all of our settlements are prepared for counter attacks, we need to let them ride it out. Rick, come on back me up." Sam looked to Rick hoping to find an ally to tapper Maggie's brash anger that had been consuming her ever since Glenn had died, but he was disappointed.

"No, we need to liberate them now. Hilltop provides most of the food for us, knowing Negan he'll take what he wants and burn the rest, we have to go and secure Hilltop before he takes it." Rick told him.

"No, if we do that then we lose our strangle Negan. Look, give us a few hours, we'll apply pressure to the outposts and try to force a surrender."

"No," Maggie insisted, she rested her hands on her hips and her thumb stroked the hammer of her revolver. "We're doing this our way. Hell, if we had then Negan never would have gotten out."

"Just give me time—"

"No!" Maggie nearly screamed. "We tried it your way and Negan blew our scouting stations apart, laid siege to _my_ settlement, and now you want to ignore that? Sam, we're doing this my way now. Either get on board or get out of my way."

Maggie turned and went to her gathering soldiers while Rick stood there glancing at the woman as she left.

"She's right Sam. We should have trapped Negan and hit the outposts like we planned. Letting him leave left too much up to chance."

"And this plan doesn't?" Sam rolled his eyes and made his way to the car. "This'll end badly Rick. I'm sorry."

* * *

Merle was shocked to see Sam return so quickly, especially blaring his horn and stopping at the picket lines. The man rushed out of his car leaving it running and making a dash for merle.

"Paddy what's—"

"No time Merle!" Sam said quickly rushing the man. He grasped Merle by the arm and pulled him away from the troops and began talking in a hushed whisper. "Look how many Hilltop and Alexandrian men are here? On the pickett?"

Merle shrugged and looked over the men. "I don't know, five six of 'em? Most of the men are on the line with the outpost. We're just here covering the road incase Saviors come knocking."

Sam looked over the picket line and nodded. Indeed, the line was not much, a handful of twenty men at most, but even six Alexandrians and Hilltop troops could mess up what he was thinking.

"Send them back on the line. Bring up men from the Foundry. Don't let anyone leave the siege." Sam said, his voice cold and trembling slightly.

"Paddy, what's going on?" Merle asked.

"Don't let anyone, Hilltop, Alexandria, Foundry or Kingdom, near that siege. We can't afford it."

"Paddy," Merle insisted.

"It's rick, and Maggie," Sam said softly. "They wanna pull men off the siege, go to the Hilltop and try to hit Negan there. But if they take men off the siege here and at the Plaza, then I feel like—I feel like the Saviors will break the siege and form up with Negan. We need to keep them divided, keep them confused. If they link up—"

"Game over," Merle said softly. "Okay, I'll move the troops around. Keep Maggie and the others from collecting their guys. But Sam. What if they try to get past us? I mean, we can't exactly shoot them."

Sam paused as he thought of an answer. He looked down the road to where the men would be besieging the Armory, and then down thee long road Rick and the others would most likely try and come through. He felt his gut churn and looked to Merle and shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, you're right, we can't shoot 'em, but they won't shoot us. Though, I'm not so sure about Maggie," Sam half joked. "Stall them. Do everything you can. I'm gonna go and get the reserves from the foundry, leave maybe ten guys to watch the prisoners. Until then, keep the pressure on and don't let the Saviors out. If Gavin's the man Ezekiel and I think, he'll give up to save his men. But Merle, don't let anyone in. No matter what."

Merle nodded solemnly, and Sam left to warn the next Siege.

* * *

Justin grunted as his shovel cleared more dirt from the ground and another foot of dirt was added to the trench behind thee foundry. The men around him were all sweating and cursing themselves as they continued to dig. Ever since being captured, the Saviors had been forced to do manual labor under guard. It was a long, hot, grueling work, but it kept them alive.

Justin looked up to the top of the trench and saw several guards milling about. Their guns were lowered and they seemed to be simply talking amongst themselves not paying attention to Justin or the other prisoners. Justin smiled as he shoved the shovel into the ground and dug up another clump of dirt.

As the sun reached midday and the length of the defensive trench grew deeper and wider. Justin wiped the sweat from his brow and watched as the guards told them to stop and move to get some water. The Saviors put down their tools and made their way to the ledge where they began to pull themselves out of the trench. The guards were careful to keep their distance and soon the Saviors were marching slowly toward the water coolers that the Foundry soldiers had set up, just like they had done for weeks.

Justin felt a warm metal tool slip into his hands and smiled as he gripped it in his hands. He looked at the man in front of him and leaned forward whispering into his ear.

"Sorry man, but not everyone's getting out," Justin thrusted his arm forward and the metal shank pierced the man. He was quick to pull his arm back and hide the shiv in his sleeve. As Guards heard the man scream Justin smiled as they came to investigate.

* * *

Abraham had been harder to convince than Merle, but he had understood what needed to be done. So, though he didn't like it, he was willing to work with Sam.

As he navigated through the woods he felt a sense of dread take over as he imagined Rick and Maggie's response to his orders. He doubted that there would be any bloodshed, but there would defiantly be a lot of backlash, at the most they would try and get him to give up command of the Foundry.

Sam grabbed a radio as he neared a The Kingdom, hoping to get an audience with the King so he could explain his action to the man and gain his support.

"Foundry you copy?" Sam said receiving static. "Foundry do you copy?"

" _Hello?"_ a voice called over the radio, garbled by the distance it was impossible to know who was speaking.

"Foundry it's Sam is Rory there?"

" _Oh, it's Sam! Hey Sam. Nice place you got here._ " Sam's eyebrow furrowed as he heard the comment. " _Gonna be honest, I never thought that I would ever get to see the inside of this place. You know, with me working out in the trenches and everything_."

Sam's stomach dropped as he heard that and he swallowed nervously before pressing the transmit button. "Who is this?"

" _You know who it is Sam. It's your labor force, and we're here to collect our paychecks_." There was cackling on the other side of the radio before it cut out. Sam pulled the car to the side of the road and then leaned his head outside of the window as he felt bile begin to rise out of his throat as he imagined what those men could do to those still in The Foundry. " _Don't worry. We didn't kill everyone. Just a couple of dumbass guards that tried stopping us. Everyone else is our prisoner. Unless you give us what we want_."

Sam hesitated as the transmission cut. His first instinct was to grab his radio and yell into it that he would give them anything as long as they did not hurt anyone and let those that were alive live. His mind flashed to Beth, trapped in The Foundry with the Prisoners. What those depraved men would try and do to her. Anger began to rise in his body as his mind conjured up images of what he would do to those men if a single hair on her head was harmed.

He raised the radio and pressed the transmit button and then softly spoke. "So, what's the plan? What you hold my people hostage, and then what? What's the plan here?"

There was a period of silence and Sam began to calm a bit. He started his car again and began speeding to the Foundry. The trees around him became a blur and the walkers he passed were nothing more than shadows that passed by the windows.

" _Tell me, Sam_ ," the voice came over the window. " _I have a girl here, pretty little thing, and she's put up a hell of a fight, killed one of us with a knife. I was gonna have my boys kill her, but then she said the craziest shit."_

Sam tried to ignore the voice as he began to near one of the Foundry's outer defenses, the men there waving him down as he approached. They had wounds, bloodstained parts of their clothes and they seemed scared.

"What happened?" Sam asked getting out of the car and clipping his radio to his belt.

" _It's strange. Blondie was ferocious one second, and when I had a gun pointed at her she was shaking another._ " Sam knew they had to be talking about Beth, and if the man was taunting him with Beth, then that had to mean that she was still breathing.

"Saviors broke free. We don't know how, but all we know is that they started fighting and some of the reserve troops got pushed back to here." A young Foundry soldier reported.

"How many of 'em are alive?" Sam demanded.

"I don't know, about twenty of 'em? It was hard to tell, they just took us by surprise."

" _You wanna know what she told me?_ " The radio asked. " _Hey darling, wanna tell him?"_

There was a brief pause and a sniffle could be heard before a shaky breath. " _I told him,"_ Sam could hear Beth's voice say over the radio, " _I told him, that I was pregnant."_

* * *

AN: Heyo! I'm back with another installment. It's a tad bit short but the next one is gonna be long, and the Savior War should be done in about two more chapters. I hope you guys are liking it and I can't wait for you guys to see what I have planned. Also, please leave a review! I love them! ~Pacco1


	50. Too Far

Ch. 50

"I'm gonna kill 'em," Sam said as he looked on toward the Foundry. His vision enhanced by the pair of binoculars that he held up to his eyes. He gritted his teeth as he saw men that had once been prisoners walking by the windows carrying guns and ordering his people around. He hadn't spotted Beth, Eugene, Rory, or Prim walking about. He felt dread flow through his body as he thought of them As far as he knew Beth was the only one of them alive, the others could be dead. "How many men do we have here?"

The perimeter guards that had survived the takeover glanced around, one of them doing a quick head count and then looking back to Sam. "We got six of us here sir," He reported.

"Good, who's the marksmen here?"

"I am sir," a man said standing up and hefting his rifle in front of him. "I was a marine, can put a round in a fleas ass at three hundred yards."

"Good, keep your aim steady, you'll be back here, rest of you are gonna come with me. We'll have to wait for night. You," he pointed at the Marine, "What's your name?"

"Dillon, sir."

"Alright, Dillon, keep your gun trained over there, observe and let me know if any of them, fucking leave. If they set foot out, put a round in them."

"Sir," Dillon said as he moved to observe the Foundry with his rifle.

"Rest of you, get gear ready and some rest, once that sun goes down we're going hunting."

* * *

"What the fuck do you mean we can't get out men?" Maggie screamed into Merel's unflinching face. Small strands of spittle flew from her mouth and splattered on his face, but the man stood resolute against both her and Rick.

"We're keeping this siege up Maggie. That's my orders—"

"And I'm giving you new orders _Merle_!" Maggie screamed at the man. Merle shook his head and then began backing away from Maggie who simply stood there in disbelief, shaking her head and then looking back to Rick for support.

"Merle, Hilltop is under attack," Rick said moving forward. "We need to collect some men and liberate it."

"And we need to stop these bastards form breaking siege and reinforcing Negan or Sanctuary," Merle said, the men that stood behind him nodding in support. Maggie looked them over and couldn't recognize a single face, not even pulling one from passing.

She scoffed and shook her head, "None of my men are here, aren't they? Or Ricks for that matter. What, you think they'd leave? To defend their homes, their loved ones? Merle we can't let Hilltop get sacked by those animals?"

"Sam's orders," Merle said firmly.

Maggie felt her anger spike but simply turned away seething rather than attacking Merle. She heard Rick turn as well, the men they had brought following them. They walked a good distance from Merel and his defensive line and Maggie glared at the one-handed man before looking to Rick.

"What do you wanna do?" Rick asked, resting his hand on his gun.

"We can't fight 'em, even if we wanted to I doubt the men would," Maggie scoffed. "This is it, Rick. Sam can't keep undermining us."

Rick sighed deeply and looked back to Merle as a small spark of anger and distrust flowed through him. "Yeah, I think you're right Maggie. But, we have bigger problems right now. Negan, Hilltop. We need to get there."

"We don't have enough men," Maggie said. " Not unless we bring up the reserves up from Alexandria."

"We can't do that. We're bare bones there as it is. If we go and take all of our reserves then we'll lose everything Maggie, and then it'll just be Sam and Ezekiel against the Saviors. And win or lose that'll be bad."

"Fuck," Maggie swore as she began to pace in frustration. "Fine, we'll let Sam keep our men, but once one of the outposts is broken we go straight to Hilltop and we relieve my damn men." Rick nodded in agreement but also hoping not to provoke Maggie. "And Rick, we're talking about Sam, soon."

* * *

Justin's eyes scanned the area around the foundry intensely as he looked for signs of any enemy soldiers. Since the radio broadcast, he hadn't had any contact with Sam or anyone else. The captured Saviors were milling about the Foundry and keeping watch for any sign of intrusion. There were only twenty of them left. Capturing the Foundry had been bloodier than he had anticipated, but it had been well worth it. There were guns, booze and a roof over their heads.

Justin let out an uneasy breath as he put the binoculars down and turned back to look at some of the hostages he had taken. They were mostly kept in the cages of the now empty armory, but he had decided to take a few as personal hostages as insurance in case Sam came and actually attacked the Foundry. The men were already preparing defenses in case that did happen, most of the doors had been barricaded and sandbags and other makeshift defenses littered the halls. Sam could try and take back the Foundry, but it would be bloody and cost him a lot of men.

"You're gonna die here," Justin's head whipped around to the pregnant blonde, her blue eyes staring at him with indifference, her voice dry and seemingly emotionless.

"The Fuck you mean?" Justin spat at her.

"Sam's gonna kill you for this. You killed his men, took others hostage, soon enough he'll come knocking that door down and kill all of you," she smiled and leaned her head back against the brick wall, closing her eyes.

Justin scoffed and turned away. "What makes you so sure he'll save you, princess?"

She actually laughed at that and Justin felt his stomach drop at the sound. "He's done it before. Took out an entire hospital full of people just to get me back. Him and our group. But now he has an army at his disposal. Tell me, _baby_ , what do you think he'll do to get his pregnant fiancé back?"

Justin tried to ignore her and instead turned back to the window, feeling his dread overtake his body.

* * *

Abraham and his men cheered as the last Savior threw his rifle down and joined his comrades kneeling with their hands interlocked behind their heads. Although Sam typically had a no prisoner policy, Ezekiel, and Rick persuaded him and had encouraged the men to take prisoners, so that it would send the message that the world was coming back together.

With the Saviors now surrendering though Abraham was able to take out his cigar and light it in victory. Men began collecting the Saviors weapons and loading them in trucks, while the Saviors themselves were corralled to a secure area under the watch of guards.

Just as Abrahams Zippo had lit his cigar properly several trucks had pulled up, Maggie, Rick and Daryl hopping out followed by several Alexandria and Hilltop troops.

"Hilltoppers and Alexandrian's load up in the trucks, we have to relive Hilltop!" Maggie shouted before walking to Abraham. "Unless you have a problem with that?"

Abraham rolled his eyes and took the cigar from his mouth. "Listen, I don't know why you and Sam have this dick measuring contest going on Maggie. We're all on the same side."

"That a yes?"

Abraham scoffed, "Take your men, we have to watch the Saviors."

"Abraham thank—" Rick began before Maggie spoke, a smug smirk on her face.

"Give us some of your men."

Abraham raised an eyebrow at her request. "Sorry?"

"We need a lot of men to take on Negan. Give us some of yours."

A thick tension spread over them, soldiers noticed and looked to them, a rift forming as Foundry soldiers stood with one another, separate from their current Alexandrian and Hilltop were down but there were looks to the leaders as they awaited calls to action, confused as to whether they could fire on their allies.

"You want me to give you men I need here?"

"Sam doesn't have a problem doing it why should I?" Maggie asked smugly. "Besides I need them more than you. You don't have to fight anymore, just watch the prisoners. I'm going to fight. Give me the men Abraham"

The larger man stared down at Maggie with contempt, his jaw tightened and he let out a heavy sigh before turning toward the Foundrymen.

"Ten of you go with her. Rest of you stay here and guard the prisoners."

"We need more than ten," Maggie said taking a step forward.

"That's all you're getting Maggie," Abraham growled out, "Now step back."

Maggie's jaw clenched, but then forced a smile and scoffed. "Fine. We'll take the ten. Let's go!"

The men began loading up and Abraham watched as ten of his own men left. He looked around and ushered the men back to work before heading to the comm operators.

"Hey Mike, get a hold of Sam," he said as he approached the comm operator, "Tell him what the hell just happened."

* * *

As Night began to approach Justin felt his nerves rise. He had been watching the treeline constantly, but all he had seen was the trees and the brush that surrounded the small industrial site that the Foundry was located on. Justin felt the Virginian heat cooking him, fat beads of sweat pouring off of him as he felt the anxiety of an upcoming attack mounting. He had men, guns, a fortress, and hostages, and yet he still felt powerless. No radio contact, not messenger, nothing, it was as if Sam was playing with him.

Justin's leg tapped repeatedly on the ground and he felt the heat digging underneath his skin, the beads of sweat felt like acid and he felt like he was boiling inside his own skin. He wiped his head and felt the sweat quickly envelop his forehead.

"Fuck," he whispered as the sun fell from the sky, the soft orange-red glow still radiating in the sky. He took one look out the window once more and looked for men but his eyes couldn't spot anyone the brush too close for him to spot anyone. He set the binoculars down and rubbed his eyes. The situation was not at all what he thought it would be, trapped and without help against a man out for his blood.

The amount of fear and anxiety that filled him was indescribable, it was immeasurable. He stood up and paced his eyes switching from his rifle that was resting on the bed to the window. He took a breath and turned and looked to the pregnant girl.

"You. If Sam comes—"

"When," she interrupted quickly.

"Fine, when Sam comes, how's he gonna hit us?"

She smirked and chuckled a bit at his lack of sighed smugly and began to speak, "Sam's gonna kill you. Simple as that. You killed his men, _our_ friends. Took me hostage, and bragged about it, because you thought you could get reinforcements here. How's that going by the way?"

Justin resisted the urge to smack the girl and ignored the panic from the lack of communication from the Saviors.

"You want my advice," she chuckled, "Surrender, least then ammo isn't wasted and you get a quick death."

"No," Justin said as he got up. "I can't surrender. I do that, I tell the men that and they kill me."

"You're dead either way," she pointed out.

Justin opened his mouth to respond, but the crack of a rifle shot through the air followed by the rapid booms of machinegun fire. Justin dropped to the ground and whimpered as he awaited for bullets to crack through the window. He tensed and closed his eyes, but no shots came and the machine gun fire died down quickly. Tentatively he stood up and glanced around the room seeing it intact. Springing into action he went for a radio and called out for someone to tell him what was happening. One of his men called back that a rider had appeared claiming to be from Hilltop, saying that he had needed an ammo resupply. The freed Saviors had fired upon him sending him retreating.

Justin sank to the chair in the room and sighed as he felt his body grow tired. He felt no fear, or anger, just an exhaustion flow through him. He looked out the window and saw one of the small trees rustle in the wind, and he knew that the girl was right. He was dead already.

* * *

The smoke billowed as fire engulfed the walls of Hilltop. Men and women screamed as Saviors fired into the settlement. Most of the Hilltop settlers were holed up in the big house, small arms fire coming from the windows and the remnants of the outer guard were retreating to the house, most of them being gunned down on their way, bodies drooping with red mist popping out of their bodies. They tumbled to the floor, their guns and gear pulling them to the dirt.

Negan laughed as he watched the scene unfold. He had given plenty of opportunities for surrender, plenty of chances for amnesty, yet they had refused. The walls could be repaired though, the people not so much.

"Hold fire!" Negan shouted as the last of Hilltops defense forces made it to the big house. Negan held out his hand and one of his men brought a megaphone to him. "Can you shits hear me? Huh? Well, listen up! This little, revolt shit, it's done! Ya' fucking lost, A for effort though! All you're people though, they're dead, so you can either join 'em, or you can work for me now! Come on, don't be idiots! Don't fucking die for a cause that's already lost!"

There was no response from the big house, and Negan sighed as motioned for his men to form a perimeter.

"Go on boys, anyone comes near a window you shoot them. Lenny! You and your team go and make sure that no one sneaks up on us here!"

"Got it boss!" there was a flurry of activity as his men followed orders. Negan looked on to the big house and smiled as he plotted how to get them out.

* * *

"They opened fire on you?" Maggie asked her supply runner. The boy himself was roughly only sixteen, old enough to help but not fight, and wore thick round glasses. He was white as a sheet and nervous sweat covered his face as he had just finished recounting the tale of what had just happened.

"Yes ma'am," he said, his voice trembling as he recounted his tale. "I said that I was there to get ammo for you and Hilltop and the next thing I knew they were shooting at me."

Maggie shook her head and swallowed nervously. "Thank you, Will, go ahead and get some rest."

The boy nodded his head slowly and left the command tent. Maggie sighed and looked to Rick, her eyes sending a message that he could read. Rick turned his head and shook it solemnly.

"No, Sam isn't like that. Something could have happened Maggie, the radios have been acting up all day, the ranges and batteries have been off."

"So has Sam. He's disobeyed orders, he's kept us from collecting our men, and he's been gone from the field to be at the base. Rick, he's making a move. And we have to act, _now_. Otherwise, we'll have another Negan to deal with."

"So what, you wanna kill him? Kill Merle, Abraham, everyone that went with him. Everyone that supports him? We can't do that Maggie!" Rick told the woman.

"I'm not saying we do," Maggie said, a plot in her mind.

* * *

Sam's breathing was calm and collected as he slowly inched forward. His body was shrouded in a bush, as were his men. They had made makeshift ghillie suits and for the entirety of the day had moved forward inches at a time. Thir bodies concealed and their movements covered. Though it came at a cost. Knives and pistols were the only weapons that they were able to bring, anything else would have been far too bulky for them to carry and would have given them away in an instant.

But now, after hours of moving inches every so often, they were positioned just across from the Foundry doors. Sam crawled forward, his body slithering against the ground. He weaved himself out of the suit and onto the pavement of the street. The darkness covered most of his movements and now he was close to the Foundry doors.

He rolled his body pressing against the brick of the building and took a deep breath as he moved forward and took a knee beside the door. He pressed his ear against the door and listened for any sign of movement. He closed his eyes and focused on his hearing. He could hear voices, but it was all garbled and hard to hear. Sam pulled away and motioned for his men to form upon him. Slowly one by one they came forward, making their way across the street slowly in a bid to stay concealed. Sam pulled out his pistol and held up three fingers and slowly brought one down.

He could sense his men tensing as he brought down the second finger. He himself took a deep breath and pulled the hammer of his pistol back as he brought the final finger down.

He quickly snatched the doorknob and pulled the door open charging forward into the room. Several men were milling about, all of them armed, but their weapons at rest. Most of them could barely turn their heads before bullets were sent flying into their skulls and their corpses fell to the ground.

"Spread out boys!" Sam commanded. "Find the hostages and secure them, any Savior you see kill 'em. No exceptions."

His men cheered, and Sam smiled at their enthusiasm.

* * *

Justin panicked as he picked up his rifle and shouted for his men to get to their positions. He swore and cursed the men at the front entrance for being idiots. Instead of watching the door they must have gotten bored and been playing cards.

"Give up," the girl said from her corner of the room. "Sam's inside, you think you know this place better than he does? Your men don't stand a chance."

"Shut up!" Justin screamed. He rushed over to Beth and gripped her by the throat and shoved her against the wall. "Jesus Christ shut the fuck up!"

As he gripped her Beth actually smirked and a snap was heard as she was freed of her zip-tie cuffs. In her hand was a small razor that she then thrust forward and used effectively to sliceJustins torso causing blood to seep from the lacerations. Acting quickly she moved the razor across his throat, the blood spraying into her face blinding her.

Justin screamed and fell to the ground, the blood pooling in his throat and his scream transforming into a gargle. Beth panted and acted quickly to retrieve his rifle as he thrashed on the ground gasping for air as blood blocked his passageways.

Justin felt the pain of the cuts and held his throat as he felt the last of his life begin to leave him. He looked to Beth his eyes begging for some kind of mercy or sympathy. But when she looked at him, he found nothing but contempt and pity. The last thing he saw before his vision went black was Beth checking the chamber on the rifle, and leaving the room.

* * *

Sam felt the blood of a Savior drip down his arms as he shoved a knife into the back of the man's neck. He and his men had just finished clearing the first floor and were ready to approach the second, towards the armory and the remaining Saviors.

Sam motioned for one of his men to aim his gun to the stairs and cover him as he climbed. With each step he made he felt his stomach grow heavier, the thought of the saviors setting up a perfect kill corner for him to walk into. He moved forward anyway. The thoughts of death and blood being pushed away as he had a duty to do. Beth was there, she needed him, his child needed him, and he would get there.

He finished climbing the stairs and was about to enter the hall they led to. _Just a few more steps Sammy just breathe. Just brea_ —"

Gunfire and screaming filled the air and Sam ducked as he clung to the wall and pointed his pistol toward the door.

The gunfire filled the air and Sam waved for his men to stay back and not come up. Sam bowed his head keeping the dust from the round impacts from getting into his eyes. His ears rang and Sam growled underneath the sound from the gunfire.

His ears rang and Sam could pick up from the vibrations of the room that the gunfire had ceased. He slowly moved forward his gun raised and squinted through the dust.

"Sam?" he could hear a voice shout faintly. "Sam is that you?"

"Who is it?" Sam shouted his voice louder than he could hear.

"Beth!" Sams face morphed into a relieved smile as he moved up and rounded the corner. Beth stood there a rifle too big for her in her arms. Prim and Eugene stood behind her both wielding rifles of their own. Gunfire was heard throughout the building and Sam felt relief go through him as he spotted Beth and his allies.

"Oh my god lass!" he cried as he rushed her and scooped her up in his arms. "You're alright! Thank God!"

"I'm okay," she said so softly that he wouldn't have heard it if he wasn't so close. Sam swallowed nervously as he saw her bloody hands. "It's not mine," she said quickly. "I always made fun of you for being prepared, but those razors in the outlets really saved me."

Sam chuckled and gripped her hands tightly, before moving one hand to her stomach touching it tentatively. "Are you—is the…" he trailed off and looked into her eyes hopeful.

"He's fine. We both are." She said quietly. "Well—"

"What?" He asked quickly. "What's wrong?"

Beth motioned for him to follow her, and though the gunfire still echoed through the building, all it meant was dying saviors.

Beth led him through the building toward the armory. She explained how the Saviors used it as a temporary prison after they had cleared it out. Sam noticed the solemn mood and felt the anxiety begin to overtake his body as he moved through the halls. As they arrived at the armory a few of the noncombatants that resided in the Foundry, children, and workers, looked up at Sam, their faces grateful and morphing into happiness. They whispered to each other as Beth led him to the back. They whispered, ' _I knew he would come' 'I told you he had a plan'_.

But as the whispers died down, Beth came to a stop, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked forward. Sam brushed past her, looking down to the ground, and at the body of Rory.

* * *

As the Savior perimeter was breached and Merle led his troops through the breach, all he could feel was pride. Saviors dropped dead before him, his rifle shooting rounds out and killing his oppressors, his men at his back letting him lead them.

Not so long ago Merle would never have imagined himself where he was. Apart of an army, an officer nonetheless. Merle knew that he had been an asshole, a bastard, and yet he was there now. He got into cover and reloaded, his one hand making the process a bit difficult, but Merle was nothing if not adaptable. He rose again, firing into the Saviors, the siege nearly over and the Saviors nearly defeated.

"Let's go you dumbshits!" Merle shouted as he lept over his over and stormed the Outpost. The men roared ni approval and followed him, the battle over, the Saviors only just unaware.

* * *

As Negan was informed of the recent losses of both outposts, the loss of manpower and equipment, he felt his heart sink. The siege of Hilltop was already going excellently, but losing the two outposts he was standing with his dick out, and all that would mean was getting surrounded and killed. So Negan did what he had to.

"Sound a retreat, send a few men to collect what they can from lock up and then we'll go to Sanctuary and get ready for long one," Negan said as he moved to his vehicle.

"I'll go to lock up boss," Dwight volunteered.

"Good, go and get as many explosives as you fucking can. I wanna give those fuckers a big Sanctuary welcome when they show up!"

Dwight nodded as he gathered a small group, and dropped an arrow, a note attached before getting in his car.

* * *

AN: Hey all sorry it took so long college got hard. But summer is almost upon us so I will be updating on a regular schedule again. or I should lol. So the Savior war will wrap up the next chapter and I am excited to begin the next phase. On another note, I am planning a Game of Thrones story so if you guys are interested in that let me know haha. anyway, I am excited to continue this story so please drop a review and I will see you guys next time! Also, I wrote an actual book, so please go and check that out! The Old World By Edward Clyde Review! ~Pacco1


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